Searching for Their Own Selves
by Kitty-Kat Allie
Summary: Why does everyone have their own crest but two of the Chosen Children? Don't they have something within themselves that will prove themselves to the world, too? This time it's a journey to save the world and themselves, too, with the help of new friends.
1. Feeling Weak: Disappearing

Kitty: HOYO! I'm at Mississippi bored out of my mind I'm can't upload, so I can't write new chapters of my other stories, but I miss writing so much! I've been writing in my head so much that all my unwritten stories are mixing up. I'm not going to do my usual disclaimer. I'm just going to write, as much as I can and as long as I can. Bear with me! I miss my Miky!

I do NOT own digimon. I'm not going to say that anymore by the way.

Searching for their Own Selves

Chapter One

Feeling Weak: Disappearing

"Iori, do you miss the digital world?" asked the lavender haired high school girl. Her strange yellowish eyes glanced down at the afore mentioned boy through the side of her round glasses. He sighed.

"I miss Armadillomon." The brown-haired bowl-cut shorter boy answered. His moss green eyes met hers, "Why do ask, Miyako?"

"Oh, nothing. Ugh, I just want to go back! I felt important and needed there. Even if I got us in trouble or dragged us back some, I felt stronger there, like I'm not here. I'm not strong or needed here in the human world. I'm just a yellow-eyed, purple-haired, teenage girl with no life besides swooning over a guy who'll never look twice at me." Miyako blurted angry and sad at the same time. "Oh, if only Hawkmon were here, he could always say the wrong thing."

"Why would you want to hear the wrong thing?" Iori asked confused.

"Because that would mean it was Hawkmon saying it, of course. He always made me feel better about myself even if he said the one thing I didn't want to hear. It's strange really, but I just feel strong with him, remembering what I was doing, saving two worlds. I can't feel like that anymore. Strong." Miyako hung her head, tears forming at her lashes of her closed eyes.

"Miyako..." Iori started to warn and then shut his mouth. She never heard anything when she pulled herself into her own world.

Miyako felt her head hit and something and then two weights landed on her shoulders. She pulled back a step startled, causing the tears on her lashes to fall to her cheeks. The something was a chest and the weights were two hands. Blue eyes in a pale face surrounded by blue hair appeared before her blurred eyes.

"Ken..." she croaked surprised. She put both hands over her mouth in embarrassment. _I just sounded like a toad, in front of HIM!_ "Ken, I'm sorry I wasn't watching." She mumbled quietly after clearing her throat. She stopped thinking abruptly when she once again met his eyes. Flames raged in the murky dark depths.

"Miyako! How many times do I have to tell you this? You aren't weak or insignificant! You're one of the strongest people I've ever met. And you're one of the most special girls I've ever met. Stop downing yourself, you don't need a digimon to be special, you already are, Miyako." Miyako blinked she'd never seen him so angry before. Or ever heard his voice sound so soft when he said her name.

"Ken?" she asked, unable to believe this wasn't another one of her daydreams or fantasies. Somehow, his hand had cupped her cheek. He pulled away and turned around.

"Never mind. Let's go." She hurried after him, Iori at her heels, angry beyond words under his calm façade.

"Daisuke!" Miyako cried happily wrapping her arms around his waist. He grinned happily back wrapped his tan arms around her shoulders.

"Hey, Miya! I've missed you!"

"You numskull! It's only been two days!" she laughed looking up at him her eyes dancing.

"I know, but that's a decade without you my love!" he dipping her quickly and spun her around. He then fell to his knees and in mock seriousness asked, " 'Will you please be mine? I cannot bear not feeling you within my arms, my lady.'" She giggled at his serious face.

"You've gotten better. 'Alas, my knight, my love. My father has promised me to the High King.'" She answered with tears forming in her eyes. The others laughed and clapped.

"Oh, wow, Daisuke, you looked the part spectacularly." Kari complimented him.

"I think Ms. Mizuno knew what she was doing making Miyako the fair Queen Gwenhwyfar." Takeru commented looking up from the lines.

"Yes, and you make the perfect Sir Galahad." Miyako said, helping Daisuke to his feet.

"I can't believe Ken didn't get Lancelet and I did. I guess he just looks the villain, Sir Mordred." Daisuke said with a bow in Ken's direction.

"Shut up."

"Ouch." Daisuke winced.

As you noticed, the Digidestined were rehearsing lines for the fall play. They had all decided that because they were going so many different directions that they needed to do one club together at school. All agreed drama.

"Kari, the costumes rock! You make the greatest costume constructor." Daisuke said holding up his black tunic.

"I love the background personally. The night looks so real, Iori." Ken said looking up from his script.

"And I care? Miyako, what do you think?" Iori said scathingly without looking over at Ken's direction.

"They-th-they're beautiful." Miyako stuttered trying to put together her thoughts.

"Iori? Did I do something wrong?" Ken asked setting down his booklet and getting up.

"Of course not, I love cowards. If you excuse me, I'm going to get paint. Kari, can you help me? I need to get these supplies back to the tool room." He looked up at her with eyes so angry she immediately got up with him.

"What?" Daisuke gaped his tunic still against his chest.

"I have no idea. Here, let's go over our lines. The love scene still needs working on, we keep on laughing."

"I can't help it, I keep on remembering our first Valentine's Day!" Daisuke said grinning and putting down his tunic.

"Oh, that was a disaster. I gave you a black eye for White Day though, so all went well in the end." Miyako giggled. Ken grumbled below his breath, knowing exactly why Iori called him a coward.

Ken had been in love with Miyako for years now, but when she and Daisuke tried the date-thing a couple years back, he completely gave up all hope, even though she and Daisuke broke up at the end of that year. They still flirted and sometimes kissed, just for practice seeing how they had gone out just for practice in the first place. He couldn't see how a girl like Miyako would go out with a guy like him after having Daisuke, the most popular guy in school... and hottest. Seeing them together at all -even when yelling violent names at each other- sent him over the edge.

"Hey, did a fifteen year old really write this?" Takeru asked suddenly, interrupting Miyako and Daisuke's pledges of undying love. Of course, they were being a 'little' too theatrical.

"Huh? Yeah, she's supposed to be a born writer, a little loony, and a real genius. Actually, she reminds me a little of Koushiro, only, well, loony and supposedly boy-crazy." Daisuke said his hand still pressed against the small of Miyako's back absentmindedly. Miyako tapped her cheek, her other hand still pressed against his chest. She looked up at him.

"How do you know so much? She's from Tokyo."

"Yeah, well, I go there for tournaments you know? A bunch of guys talk about her. She falls in love everyday with a cute guy, goes out with him, and then dumps him the next day for another cute guy. The guys can't help but go out with her though; she's supposed to be a real cutie herself. I caught her name because they were talking about her all weekend when I was in Tokyo for that soccer conference." Daisuke explained.

"Oh? Well, at least she has fun." They both laughed.

"You guys can stop touching each other any minute now!" Ken snapped. "You're not even saying lines. Fuck this, I'm going home!"

"Ken!" Takeru yelped falling off his chair as Ken pushed by.

"Ken, wait, what the in the world is wrong with you and Iori? OH MY GOD! What's happening to me?" Ken whipped around to see Miyako fuzz out like Kari had done when going to the Dark Ocean.

"Miyako!" Ken cried. Takeru jumped up and ran towards Kari's startled cry in the tool room.

"Ken!" Miyako cried grabbing for his hand. Her hands just went through his like she was a ghost and she disappeared before Daisuke and Ken's eyes.

"Miyako!" they both cried shocked as Takeru and Kari cried out Iori's name.

V V V


	2. Meeting Someone New: Chick Power

Chapter Two

Meeting Someone New: Chick Power

"OOF!" Miyako puffed landing on her butt. Several other 'oofs' and 'ows' around Iori and Miyako signaled the arrival of more people.

"Why the heck are we back in the digital world?" asked a loud and annoyed voice.

Miyako and Iori turned to see about six others teens, with digivices shaped like the originals shining in their pockets. Only, they didn't know these six teens!

"Excuse me, but who are you? Are you Digidestined?" Iori asked after dusting off the seat of his pants.

"We have digivices, don't we?" one of the girls said sarcastically.

"If you're Digidestined, and there's five girls besides me and only two boys here, that means...there's finally more girls than boys! YES! CHICK POWER!" Miyako said happily with her index finger pointing to the sky high above her head.

"You're weird." Said the one other boy with a raised eyebrow. Miyako blushed. Suddenly, Miyako and Iori's square D3's started beeping loudly.

"Miyako! Are you okay? Where are you?" Ken yelled as she flipped open the top.

"I'm fine." Miyako said confused at Ken's panic.

"Iori, where are you?" asked Koushiro from Iori's small screen.

"OH, HOW CUTE! A BISHIE!" said the girl that had spoken first from behind Iori. She had crept up to see what he and Miyako were talking to.

"Oh no." groaned the guy.

"She's at it again." Said one of the other girls who hadn't spoken before.

"Wha? Me?" squeaked Koushiro pointing at himself baffled and blushing. No one called him a bishonen before.

"Uh huh. What's your name?" she asked with stars in her eyes. The girl who had snapped at Iori grabbed the starry-eyed girl by her long hair while the guy clapped his hand over her mouth.

"Don't listen to her man, she's a total heartbreaker." The guy warned. Koushiro blinked still addlepated.

"We're in the digital world. Hey, an email from Gennai." Iori said quickly while in the back ground the 'heartbreaker' was kicking and waving her arms trying to tell her 'friends' she couldn't breathe. They dropped her as Iori clicked to his new email.

"You know Gennai?" All but the 'heartbreaker' and another unknown girl yelled. The 'heartbreaker' was gasping for air on her hands on knees.

"Yes...he says we all are stuck here. We're not allowed out or others in." Iori frowned.

"What!" Shrilled Ken from Miyako's screen.

"What that guy said." The sarcastic girl muttered.

"He says here that Miyako's and my crests aren't ours, and all of you need crests. We need to find our true quality and not rely on the ones inherited to us. This is a quest for us, the Digidestined without our own selves." Iori summarized. "He also says we'll be accompanied by friends." Just then the 'heartbreaker' squealed.

"PAWMON!" she happily drew an in-training digimon into her arms. Soon, all the teens had their digimon partners with them.

"Hmm, this is strange, Daisuke really can't open the portal..." Koushiro muttered. "I think I understand Gennai, however. All of the first Digidestined like Tai, myself, etc., have crests, one for each of us. Nobody had our crests before us, but you and Miyako have crests already given to another, even if you do posses those qualities quite strongly, you still have one of your own."

"But what about Kari and Takeru and Daisuke and Ken?" Miyako asked angrily.

"Daisuke has the crest of Miracles, Ken has Kindness, those are theirs alone, none of us have them. Takeru and Kari's crests were theirs only, also. They don't need this quest." Koushiro reminded her.

"But what about us? We don't even have crests!" shouted the guy.

"Exactly. You need them for some reason. Even though you didn't save the world. I guess Gennai sees some sort of purpose for you." Koushiro said confused. "I knew there were other Digidestined, but none of the others had crests, only us. I thought only the destined who saved the world would need one." Koushiro answered trailing off into his own musings.

"We are Digidestined; maybe we need to be together for some dark purpose not known to us. Or maybe we just had to meet." Offered the 'heartbreaker'.

"But what good would that do? To just meet? Gennai must have some purpose... I need to get my facts straight and start a hypothesis. Keep in touch, okay?" Koushiro clicked off as he finished leaving the 'heartbreaker' pouting.

"Damn." She cursed sadly.

"We should introduce ourselves. We are stuck together." Iori offered.

"Yeah! Hey, Ken, I'll email you, okay? We have to think of a battle plan! Bye!" Miyako shut it off before he could protest. "I wonder what's wrong with him. He's been acting strangely."

"He cares for you." Said the quiet voice of the one new person who hadn't yelled before. She continued stroking her digimon as if she had said nothing.

"Creepy. She never speaks. But when she does it's like she knows everything we don't." the guy said. "My name's Miyazawa, Touji by the way." He had ocean green eyes and bleached blonde hair. His digimon had a brightly checkered collar on, kind of like a collar a clown would wear. His left eye had a black diamond spot and his large round body was white. He also had huge red shoes for feet. "This is Circusmon."

"My name is Aizuka, Shizuko. This is my digimon Quimon." Said the sarcastic girl. Shizuko had black eyes and hair so ruby red it seemed black. Her digimon had a black mask over the bottom part of his face and two feet in black slippers. Three deadly looking spikes, which looked like the blades of a stiletto, were sticking out of the top of his head.

"I'm Melina Hopkins. I'm from Hawaii. But I'm really English. My digimon is Lizmon." Said the girl who had groaned when the 'heartbreaker' started 'to get to know' Koushiro. She had tan skin and strawberry blonde hair and purplish blue eyes. Her digimon looked like a lizard head with no body, but with a tail too long for its ball-like body.

"My name is Kudo, Yukina. This is my digimon, Finmon." Said the other quieter girl. In her arms was a blue digimon with a tail like a miniature whale's, and a shark dorsal fin on its head. Yukina had mousy brown hair and muddy brown eyes.

"My name is Subaru, Motoko! This is Pawmon!" the 'heartbreaker' exclaimed happily. While Yukina had mousy brown hair, hers was a rich dark color of mahogany with light streaks of natural gold, her eyes were a merry green and she had a large smile on her face. Her digimon had a mane of the same color as her hair and two huge clawed paws. He had a very catlike face.

"OH MY GOD! YOU'RE THE GIRL WHO WROTE THAT CAMELOT PLAY!" Miyako shrieked with her finger pointing at her face.

"Um, you mean 'Mists over Camelot'? Yeah, I got most of the ideas from my favorite book and movie 'Mists of Avalon'. It's American. Why? Oh, you're from that high school that's playing it?"

"Yes! I'm Gwenhwyfar!" Miyako said excitedly.

"Oh really? Oh, you're perfect! Maybe I'll come and watch. Um, will that really cute red head be there? OW!" Motoko cried rubbing the large bump on her head. Shizuko stood behind with her fist smoking and her eyebrow twitching.

"Shut up, you heartbreaker." Shizuko growled.

"Hey! That hurts! Oh, I guess we better introduce you to Tsubaki. This is Tsubaki, Tsubaki. Her parents aren't that imaginative. She has like eight other siblings all with names like two letters different." Motoko explained with a roll of her eyes. "She pretty quiet but really sweet and kind. You just never realize it until after she's already gone."

Miyako and Iori turned to see the girl that had only spoken one sentence, a really weird one for Miyako. She had hair that seemed the essence of blonde, a very yellow-like gold. Her skin was as white as snow and her eyes were half-closed with her long pale lashes hiding the color of her irises.

"I'm Baublemon!" said her digimon happily. It had huge butterfly wings and a light pink body and one eye.

"Well, I'm Inoue, Miyako. This is my digimon Poromon." Miyako said rubbing the pink fluff that covered Poromon's round body.

"I'm Hida, Iori. This is Upamon." He said pulling out his digivice. "We really need to find a place to spend the night. It might take us a while to gather all we need, so we should start out now."

"Who the hell made you boss?" snapped Touji.

"What? That's not it. I'm just trying to plan the best course of action. We're stuck here. We might as well be safe and stuck here. That's all. I'm not assuming leadership. That's Daisuke's job." He ended sadly wishing his boisterous friend were here.

"Who's Daisuke? Is he cute too?" asked Motoko dusting off Pawmon.

"SHUT UP! YOU BOY CRAZY WACKO!" shouted Melina and Shizuko together.

"Okay, ow, need earplugs or a hearing device." Motoko winced rubbing her ear.

"I think Iori's right, Touji. Let's start looking for somewhere to spend the night." Shizuko agreed after breathing loudly through her mouth to calm down.

"Great even my girlfriend is listening to a pipsqueak acting older than his age. What are you, ten?" asked Touji pissed.

"Miyazawa, Touji." Shizuko said with narrowing eyes.

"He's sixteen years old, you idiot. I suggest you stop acting like a piss ass before I give you a black eye." Miyako hissed raising a fist.

"I guess shorty here is a ladies man. Do what you want. I have no choice now do I, pipsqueak?" Touji asked with a smile that didn't reach his angry eyes.

"Touji damn it. Stop being a jealous idiot. Just because you aren't the only boy anymore doesn't mean you don't rock hard, okay? Geez." Melina snapped pissed. "Get over your self."

"Shut the fuck up, Mel." Touji snapped back turned away and walking away from the group.

"Touji needs to calm down." Tsubaki said in her quiet voice as she stood.

"Yeah, I'll go talk to him. He has issues." Shizuko said with a shrug like it didn't matter.

"This is not how it should be. We're a team. We shouldn't be fighting. And Miyako, I understand that you wanted to help, but you may have made it worse. But thank you." Iori sighed frustrated a little; using the calming techniques his grandfather had taught him. A pale hand touched his shoulder and he turned surprised to see a golden head of hair at his shoulder. _She's so small..._he thought startled. "Thanks, Tsubaki." He whispered as she squeezed his shoulder softly. He instantly felt a calming effect wash over him at her silence and touch.

They then set out, Shizuko and Touji a ways behind them talking to each other lowly.

V V V


	3. Early Morning Wakeup Call: Hidden Broken...

Chapter Three

Early Morning Wake-up Call: A Hidden Broken Soul

BEEP! BEEP!

"What the hell is that?" snapped Touji jumping up out of deep slumber.

"Koushiro?" Iori murmured sleepily. He felt Tsubaki's quiet presence as she walked over. Her head was still bowed to hide her eyes.

"Yeah, it's me. Why is it dark there?" He asked surprised.

"It's three in the morning, why else?" snapped Shizuko looking at the time on her watch.

"Really? Oh, I didn't notice. I've been conducting some tests. No wonder I'm so fatigued. I'm sorry, maybe I should email you later." Koushiro said yawning.

"Koushiro, you've already woken all of us up. What did you email me for?" Iori asked quickly.

"Huh? What? Oh yes. I called some of the Digidestined. We all decided you newbies might need someone to talk to. Tai called me a few hours ago and told me to email you before I got too immersed in my tests. I believe I forgot. I just now remembered." Koushiro explained yawning widely again.

"Oh, how cute. My genius bishie is scatterbrained too!" Motoko giggled. Koushiro blushed.

"I'm usually not. Really. I promise I won't do this again...um, what was your name?" he asked suddenly.

"Subaru, Motoko. And you?"

"Izumi. Koushiro. Wait, you're that girl who was at that huge computer convention. You created that software program, um...it specialized in making it easy for the computer illiterate writer." He said suddenly.

"Yes! I am! And you were that boy who got that huge scholarship for that major computer school, but you turned it down, because you're planning to go into a completely different field than software. What were you going to do?" Motoko asked her eyes shining.

"Well, researching the digital world actually."

"Wow, how cool, maybe I can help when I'm out of high school."

"That's actually a good idea. First hand experience is needed very much in this endeavor."

"SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU!" Melina screamed pissed.

"What do you mean, you thought we'd need someone to talk to?" asked Yukina.

"Well, we're all confused and your parents will get worried, we thought it best to keep in touch with all of you to make sure everybody is okay. It'll keep your parents from calling out the National Guard." Koushiro pointed out. "Plus, if you guys need advice, you have Digidestined veterans at your sides. What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea, Kou-kun." Motoko said enthusiastically.

"Doomo arigatu." He blushed lightly.

"May you be my veteran? Please? Onegai?" Her forest green eyes pleaded prettily.

"B-but I-"

"Onegai?" She pouted.

"O-okay."

"YAY!" She jumped up and began hopping up and down, clapping and singing 'Bishie's my veteran!'

"We discussed the offer during the genius' flirtations and decided to accept your offer." Touji said with an attitude that clearly said he didn't like it.

"So, are you the veteran for all of us?" asked Melina.

"No. Each of you has your own... advisor, so to speak. I was going to be Iori's, but, um," Koushiro trailed off.

"It's okay." Iori assured him. Motoko went hopping behind Iori obliviously. Koushiro blinked and then continued.

"I guess we'll have to pick and choose then, here's the candidates." Koushiro looked down and sent Iori a file. Iori quickly opened it to see eight pictures. "Pick a picture. They even have footnotes that gives a brief insight to your advisor."

"Hmm, I kind of like the bushy hair guy." Shizuko said with a thoughtful frown.

"Shizuko wants the girl." Touji growled.

"Hey, Touji!" Shizuko cried outraged. "It says here Tai was the leader of the first group and he's a soccer ace! And he has the Crest of Courage. I just liked what it says about him! Not his looks!" Shizuko yelled.

"You're not going to have some guy email you and give you advice, that's my job. As your boyfriend."

"Screw you, TOUJI! Damn it, I choose Sora, but tell Tai he was my first choice. And that he's damn hot!" Shizuko yelled pissed. She turned to Touji about ready to smack him until Tsubaki touched her wrist with a shake of her head. "I'm fine, Tsubaki, thanks."

Tsubaki then turned and before the other girls could even think of picking Tai she touched his picture with a soft finger.

"I want Taichi." She whispered. Shizuko's eyes widened.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I chose Sora, instead, huh?" Shizuko smirked and then walked away.

"I think I'd like to have Takeru. I don't Kari would be too happy about him being with a girl anyway." Iori said after clenching and unclenching his fists. He did not like the way Touji treated Shizuko.

"Hmm, well, actually, maybe having Daisuke as an advisor would be fun..." Miyako murmured, actually thinking on how Ken would most likely want to be with somebody other than her, the other girls were very prettier than her, well, she and Yukina might be in a tie.

"Wait! Ken asked if he could please be yours, actually." Koushiro cried from behind the screen of pictures.

"Really?" Miyako asked, her eyes lighting up with happiness. "HE'S MINE, DAMN IT! NOBODY ELSE CAN HAVE HIM!" she cried happily. Everybody edged away scared.

"Hmm, then I'll take the cutie in goggles. He plays soccer, too, huh?" Melina murmured appreciatively.

"Um, Kido-san looks really nice. He's really smart and in med school. If Kido-san doesn't mind, I'd be honored if he'll be my advisor." Yukina said quietly and blushing.

"Well, Yamato looks pretty cool and he's in the band, kind of a lone wolf. He is the last one too. I'm glad I'm got him. I'm surprised you didn't grab him, Motoko." Touji said grinning up at Motoko.

"Nah, he may be a total bishonen, but I'm all for Koushiro. He's the cutest by a landslide. And he's on my academic level. Screw Yamato, I'm in love!" Motoko said bouncing up and down.

"I'll never understand you. You never go for guys on your academic level. You like having an excuse to dump them." Touji reminded her.

"I know. And usually I go for guys like Yamato like I go for ice cream. But Koushiro stole my heart at first sight. Tee hee. I'll never let my Kou-kun go!" Motoko claimed bouncing away. Everyone looked at her with a huge sweat drop.

"You never know if she's serious or not." Shizuko muttered shaking her head.

"Hey, Izumi-san, tell our advisors who they got okay? Oh, and don't get a big head because a cutie loves you!" Miyako warned laughing at Koushiro's star struck face.

"Hey, how are we going to email our advisors? We don't have those little laptop thingies you two have." Melina asked suddenly realizing the dilemma.

"I emailed Gennai. You guys should have your own by tomorrow. Sorry for waking you!" Koushiro apologized hurriedly.

"It's okay, sweetie. Anytime if it's you!" Motoko said leaning on Iori's head to see the screen.

"What are doing? May you please get off my head?" Iori yelled angrily.

"Sorry, Iori! See you at more decent hours, love! Get some sleep, 'kay?" Motoko said blowing a kiss at the screen.

"Yeah. Um, yeah. Bye...um...Motoko. I will?" Koushiro stuttered confused before hurriedly clicking off the computer embarrassed.

"I don't think your flirtations are going to work on him." Shizuko said with a raised eyebrow settling back on the ground to sleep.

"I know. I'm just too perky." Motoko said with eyes downcast and sad. "I don't mean to be. It's just...never mind." Motoko said cutting herself off and falling onto soft grass, her digimon snuggling under her chin.

"Motoko? What do you mean?" Shizuko asked getting up onto her elbows to see Motoko fast asleep and snoring. "You sure got me going girl."

Motoko's eyes opened as she heard the teens around her settle into sleep. As she stroked Pawmon's fur, tears slipped unheeded into the grass and mahogany fur of her digimon. She curled into a tight ball around Pawmon and fell asleep crying as she did every night for the last ten years. Pawmon licked her tears softly way, saddened by his partner's broken soul.

V V V


	4. Feeling Strong

Chapter Four

Feeling Strong

"Wake up everybody!" Shouted a happy voice.

"I'm going to kill you Motoko!" Melina and Miyako cried jumping up. They looked at each other and laughed.

"Well, I guess I have a kindred spirit after all." Miyako giggled.

"Can we kill now?" Melina asked still smiling.

"Let's." they both turned with evil grins on their faces.

"AH!" screamed Motoko in mock terror as she began running for her life.

Suddenly streams of lights came shooting down from the sky making Motoko stop dead in her tracks. Miyako and Melina went crashing into her. The jumble of female bodies laughed and then scrambled to the small crater in front of them.

"Gennai almost killed me!" Motoko cried out outraged. Then her bottom lip began to tremble and she cried waterfalls. "I told you he didn't love me!" Everybody edged away and then ignored her completely.

"Look! It's a bunch of those laptop thingies you and Iori have!" Melina said suddenly grabbing the one with sign of Miracles on it. "What's this mean?"

"That's Daisuke's crest!" Iori said his eyes widening.

"Wow, you're right!"

"Well, this must be yours Iori." Shizuko said holding out the laptop with the crest of Knowledge on it. "I saw this sign on your laptop-thing yesterday."

"It's a D3. And that's Koushiro's crest. Remember I'm getting my own in this quest. Plus, this one has the crest of Reliability on it, my other crest. And I already have a D3 of my own." Iori replied with a frown.

"Then which is whose?" Yukina asked confused.

"It has the Crests of our advisors." Tsubaki said taking the D3 with a sun on it.

"Oh, that's obvious. Why didn't we think of it?" Touji asked to nobody in particular.

"Great, I've got a heart." Muttered Shizuko.

"Really, I thought you didn't." Motoko joked under her breath. The others besides Iori and Tsubaki snorted.

"I heard that! You really want to die don't you?" Shizuko yelled pissed. Motoko immediately burst into tears. "Damn, that's so cheating. I don't hit people when they cry."

BEEP! Motoko's D3 started beeping and lighting up. She opened it sniffling.

"Are you okay?' came a concerned voice from the screen.

"Oh! Koushiro!" Motoko cried out surprised. "Eep!" she immediately closed it, blushing vividly. "I'm going to go hide now." She moaned in utter despair before she ran into the trees, Pawmon bouncing after her.

"Moto! Moto! Wait for me!" Pawmon cried.

"Oh my god. Motoko just blushed!" Melina freaked out with a pointing finger.

"Why? She was flirting with him all the time yesterday and this morning." Iori asked confused.

"I have no idea. She's never blushed before. Usually she'll do something stupid and then laugh at herself." Shizuko said with wide eyes. Iori's D3 beeped loudly.

"What did I do?" Koushiro cried as soon as Iori opened the screen.

"None of us know." Iori answered blinking.

"Maybe she's already gotten over him?" Touji mused loudly.

"WHAT?" screamed Miyako.

"She's totally boy crazy. You guys said you've heard of her. She'll fall in love one day and then forget he's alive the next." Touji said.

"Oh." Koushiro said dejectedly.

"I don't think that's the case. Koushiro isn't as cute as all the guys she's crushed on before, or as hot as Yamato. Plus, she did blush. She's never blushed before, especially with a guy she didn't like anymore. She just forgot he existed. She obviously realized it was Koushiro-san." Shizuko shot at Touji.

"Prodigious." Koushiro repeated happier. "Wait a minute! I think I should be offended..." he trailed off.

"I'll go see what's wrong!" Melina said jumping up.

"Wait! I was going to tell you all that your advisors are going to be meeting with you at about three thirty. I don't know about Jyou, though, Kudo-san. Jyou has weird hours. I have to go now, bye!" he clicked off to get to his bus on time.

"Well, I can't wait to meet Sora. She actually didn't seem that bad a person." Shizuko said to break the awkward silence.

"How about we all go find some water? My teeth fill like ten years of plaque have coated them over night!" Motoko said jumping out of the forest. Everybody screamed and jumped.

"Don't do that!" Miyako said. Tsubaki just looked at them and turned and walked to their right.

"Wait up, Tsubaki!" Melina cried stumbling out of some bushes. "And don't suddenly change your direction while I'm hunting you down!" she ordered pointing at Motoko. Motoko just pointed at herself with a face like 'who, me?'.

V V V

"Ack! My laptop is beeping!" Shizuko cried out suddenly. Soon the small glade they had found a pond in was filled with the beeping of seven D3's.

"Konnichiwa?" asked six voices.

"KONNICHIWA!" came the reply of seven more voices.

"You're Touji right? I'm Yamato." Introduced the blonde hottie.

"Hey, Iori, how's it feel to be surrounded by six babes? OW! Kari!" Takeru cried out as a foot connected with his shin.

"Miyako, are you okay? Has that other guy came on to you?" Ken asked with narrowed eyes.

"Um, no. Why?"

"No reason!"

"Hi, my name is Sora, are you Shizuko?"

"Yeah, hey, nice eyes. Contacts?"

"No, natural, er, unnatural." Sora laughed with Shizuko.

"Motoko, are you okay? You acted a little weird."

"Sorry, Koushiro. I'm not a morning person." Motoko said shyly her eyes downcast. Her friends looked at her with shocked eyes. She just lied! Motoko never lies!

"Oh, I guess you still needed to sleep after my three in the morning call, right? Sorry." Koushiro said with a shy laugh.

"Yeah, I guess. What do you have for homework?"

"Hi, I'm Motomiya, Daisuke! Are you Melina? Hey, you're cute!"

"Thanks, Motomiya-san!" Melina giggled. "Same for you!"

"Thanks, and you don't have to call me by my last name, I'm your advisor!" he said with a hand behind his head.

"Okay, goggle-boy." Melina giggled.

"HEY! I resent that!"

"Hi, I'm-"

"Yagami, Taichi." Tsubaki interrupted softly.

"Yup. You're Tsubaki, Tsubaki, right? I like your hair. It's almost as cool as mine!"

"Thanks." She answered her eyes still downcast.

"Why won't you meet my eyes?"

"..."

"You're not very talkative are you?" Tsubaki shook her head. "Well, don't worry, you don't have to be shy around me! I'm a real nice guy." Tsubaki nodded quietly as Baublemon jumped into her lap.

"Cute partner! Wait until you meet Agumon, you'll love him!"

"I'm Baublemon! Tsubaki and I are happy to meet you! I talk for her a lot." Baublemon explained as Tsubaki nodded her head.

"Oh, okay. That's cool. But you have to talk to me sometimes, too, okay, Tsubaki?"

"Okay."

"Great. Cool Cyclops butterfly." Taichi grinned.

"I am not a Cyclops butterfly! I'm Baublemon!" Baublemon fluttered angrily.

"Hey, Yukina, where's your advisor?" asked Motoko looked up from her conversation on techno with Koushiro.

"He didn't email me." Yukina said emotionlessly.

"I'm sure he will soon. He's really nice, but a bit scatterbrained and busy with med school." Koushiro assured her.

"I know, I read the footnotes this morning. You guys keep talking. I'm going to go get some water."

"Okay, Yuki." Motoko said with concern edging in her voice.

Yukina sighed as she reached the water, her eyes showing the sadness she wouldn't voice. _Nobody ever comes for me on time. Who would want to? I'm only me. Not special me. Unbeautiful me. _

"Hey, let's go you all!" Miyako cried jumping up as everybody but Yukina hung up from his or her advisors about twenty minutes later.

"Hey, Miyako?"

"Yeah?" Miyako asked turning back to the screen,

"Don't think you're weak, okay? You'll always be strong if you believe in yourself, not in your digimon only, but in both of you." Ken said with a small smile before he turned off his D3.

"Wow, that cutie really has the hots for you." Motoko observed with a grin.

"No! No, he doesn't, he just a friend, I mean! Really, Ken like me? You're joking." Miyako babbled frantically blushing.

"He's not the only one in love with the other side of the screen." Melina muttered passing by.

"AH! NO! EEK!" Miyako quickly hid her face in her hands. Everybody but Tsubaki and Iori laughed.

"It's about time he started something." He muttered picking up Upamon. He smiled down at Tsubaki's golden head as she squeezed his arm.

"Taichi is nice." She whispered.

"Yeah, he's great." He agreed looking ahead to see Shizuko stiffen as Touji threw his arm carelessly over her shoulders.

"Touji, stop it. I need some time alone right now." Shizuko said.

"You never have time for anything else." Touji grumbled.

"Please?"

"I don't have to. I am your boyfriend."

"What the hell is your problem? You say that every chance you get! If you keep on acting like you own me, you won't be my boyfriend!"

"Is that a threat Shizuko?" Touji suddenly flung his arm up and smacked her right across the face sending her spinning to the ground.

"TOUJI!" Motoko screamed. She ran forward with her fist raised, but before she even got there, Iori was there, with a long branch in his hands and held before him like a sword.

"Never hit girls. It's wrong and disgusting. Especially when she's your girlfriend and has done nothing wrong." Iori hissed, green eyes blazing.

"This isn't your business, pipsqueak."

"I'm making it my business, bully." Iori snapped back.

"Iori, stop it! This isn't acting like a team!" Upamon said bouncing up and down agitated.

"Yeah, your partner's right. Plus, he hit _me,_ it's _my_ business. Thanks, both of you." Shizuko said, her own black eyes blazing. Motoko helped her up, her body tight with barely restrained fury.

"Bastard." Motoko hissed angrily. She spat at his feet with vehemence. "Get a fucking life or I'll end your pathetic one."

"Whoa. Motoko?" Melina said hesitantly.

"Leave me alone." She snapped walking in the direction they had been walking in. Suddenly, a scream rent the air in two.

"MOTOKO!" everybody yelled. Tsubaki merely ran past everybody, Baublemon flying behind her.

"A SPIDER! HUGE SPIDER, SPIDER, SPIDER, SPIDER!" screamed Motoko with wide unseeing eyes.

"Oh no! Motoko's deathly afraid of spiders!" Yukina cried in panic.

"DIGIMON! DIGIVOLVE!" cried the six teens. Miyako and Iori stood at the sidelines in shock, staring at their digivices.

"Iori, my armor is gone."

"Mine too." He whispered.

"Well, we can still digivolve to rookie level, like the others." Poromon said.

"Faerie Dust!" sang the digivolved Baublemon, now Faeriemon.

"Big Top Blaster!" cried Clownmon, the once Circusmon.

"Bubble Bomber!" yelled Dolphimon, the digivolution of Finmon.

"Reptile Spikes!" shouted Iguanamon, digivolved from Lizmon.

"Silent Slice." Hissed Thiefmon, the digivolved form of Quimon.

"Hawk Beam!"

"Claw Chop!"

"Rapid Claw!" Cubmon hollered, desperately trying to free Motoko from the web she was stuck on. In her fanny pack, her D3 began to beep loudly. Her eyes were wide and her body frozen, staring at the huge hairy spider hovering over her with dripping fangs that made the ground hiss and froth where the venom dropped.

"There's no digimon information in our D3's about this!" Melina whispered helplessly, already giving up.

"It's not a digimon." Tsubaki murmured. Shock and horror rippled through the group. At Tsubaki's words, Motoko fainted, her body lax against her tight bonds.

"I can't digivolve!" Cubmon croaked, his voice hoarse from shouting his attack over and over.

"None of us can digivolve past Rookie! Why?" Shizuko shrieked as the huge tarantula lumbered over their unconscious friend. Tsubaki insistently tugged on Iori's shirt. He turned to see Touji's eyes glittering with a delightful malice, Clownmon bouncing side to side, from one foot to the other, almost gleefully. He glanced down and saw Tsubaki glide away.

"None of us are strong enough." She whispered her eyes upon her trapped friend, her hair hiding her face. Miyako heard the slight enunciation in Tsubaki's voice and her eyes widened. _'You aren't weak or insignificant! You're one of the strongest people I've ever met. And you're one of the most special girls I've ever met. Stop downing yourself, you don't need a digimon to be special, you already_ _are_, _Miyako.'_

"I understand. I am strong enough, with my digimon and without him. Hawkmon, digivolve!" Miyako yelled pointing her digivice at him. It started to vibrate violently and glow in her hand. He felt himself be pulled into light. "Aquillamon, GO!" she yelled.

"But that won't work! A digimon's attack will go right through it!" cried out Clownmon.

"No, it won't! Blast Rings!" shouted Aquillamon. The attack hit the giant arachnid and flung it away from Motoko, what nobody realized, he was a little too late.

A small puncture was on Motoko's cheek and it closed instantly.

The arachnid spit webs at Miyako sending her crashing against a tree, and leaving her there stuck. The tarantula closed in and she closed her eyes.

"I am strong. Aquillamon is strong. Together we're the strongest! DIGIVOLVE!" A light glowed around her and her digivice flashed. Aquillamon changed, dazzling the eyes around him.

A bird with four wings and many faceted eyes of gold let out an unearthly, yet beautiful cry into the air. It had vivid red plumage and a long gold beak with golden talons and feet. "I am Windommon. The Songbird of Strength! Prepare to go back to where you came from! Four Winged Typhoon!" He trilled his hair-raising song and flapped his great wings once, the tips pointing at the maddened tarantula. Four slashes of green wind with little white blades flew at the spider shredding it to pieces. It let out an agonizing cry and disappeared, its web with it.

"Windommon, you're beautiful." Miyako whispered in awe as he grabbed her with his talons and pulled her off the tree.

"Of course, Miyako. You would think differently of me?" he asked with his usual snobbish air.

"Motoko! Wake up!" Yukina cried, tears falling down her face.

"Answer the damn D3, ninny!" Shizuko snapped, becoming angry instead of showing her fear and worry.

"Yes...I should. Hello?" Yukina asked wiping her eyes.

"What's been taking so long, I've been ringing for fifteen minutes!" Koushiro looked over the desk from where he was sitting on the ground trying to see if there was something wrong with the wires. "Yukina-san? Where's Motoko? What's wrong? What's wrong with Motoko?" he cried, his eyes wild.

"She's unconscious and won't wake up. She was attacked by a giant tarantula." Yukina explained bawling. Melina burst into tears frantically shaking Motoko. Pawmon was yelling frantically too, his small ball-like body wracked with sobs.

"A what? You mean a digimon, right?"

"No, it was a giant desert tarantula. Motoko is afraid of spiders. Somehow a real one got here and was enlarged just to frightened and prey upon her." Iori said darkly.

"The bigger the spider, the worse it is for Motoko. She's been trying to so hard to fight her fear. She's even watched five minutes of a documentary on a bole spider. Sure, she freaked out and was plagued by nightmares for two nights, but she's been trying!" Shizuko said angrily, as tears formed in her eyes she buried her face in Touji's shoulder. Nobody seemed to notice the dead look in his eyes or the look of disappointment in Circusmon's. Besides Iori.

"But, none of the Digidestined are allowed in, how can an arachnid get in and enlarged to a gargantuan size?" Asked Koushiro, trying to get a glimpse of Motoko. "I wish I can be there. I could examine her myself. Something's wrong. She doesn't seem a weak person, she should at least be conscious." Koushiro muttered biting his lip. "Tell me everything." He ordered.

"You seem awfully quiet, Touji. Maybe you should tell us how you felt during the time of the attack?" Iori said emotionlessly, not even letting his eyes give him away, after Yukina had finished

"Are you trying to suggest something? Touji can't possibly do something like that." Shizuko exclaimed outraged.

"How can we know for sure? He looked very calm. And Clownmon looked like he was enjoying himself."

"Look, pipsqueak, I don't care what you're hinting, but I didn't have anything to do with this." Touji snapped pushing away from Shizuko. Iori kept his mouth shut and just glared back at him. "Fuck you, 'big' boy. I'm going to make sure my friend is all right."

"You aren't friends with her." Tsubaki said. She stood in front of him, Faeriemon at her side.

"What are you going to do about it, little girl?" she looked up at him, her eyes meeting his fully. He shuddered and looked away. Iori's brows snapped together. _Why did he act so revolted? What's wrong with her eyes?_ "Bye, bye, do goodies. You guys are making me sick."

"Touji!" Yukina called fearfully, " We don't know if there's more out there!"

"I'm sure he does." Armadillomon said lowly.

"You're wrong. He isn't evil. Motoko may have dumped him a while back, but that doesn't mean he hates her." Shizuko said. Koushiro's eyes widened.

"SHE WHAT?" Koushiro yelled.

"She dumped him. They went out. He was her first real boyfriend. It lasted six months. She dumped him and went chasing after some punk guy. But for some reason, she hates him, with a passion. She just keeps a lid on it for Shizuko. But sometimes, when he gets angry she threatens to kill to him. It's really weird. You'd think it'd be the other way around." Yukina pondered.

"But why did she dump him?" Koushiro asked.

"Touji says it's because she's too boy-crazy, and afraid of commitment. When he's really angry with her, he says it's because she's a tramp and decided he wasn't good enough. I don't believe him then. Motoko has always been revolted by the idea of sex. Motoko refuses to say anything, always changes the subject or laughs it off when he calls her tramp. Saying, 'Duh! So many boys out there, I have to be free to experience all of them.' But you never know if she's serious. It's strange. She seems so simple." Melina muttered.

"SHE'S NOT SIMPLE! YOU'RE JUST TOO BLIND TO SEE WHAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU! She's the most complex person in this entire group. Including precious Touji." Pawmon growled fiercely, licking her cheek.

"Ungghh. You bastard." Motoko whispered. Her eyes fluttered open. And they saw blank eyes with the pupils gone and only her irises showing. Then her eyes drifted shut and she fell asleep, fitfully kicking.

"Moto." Moaned Pawmon.

"Motoko." Whispered Koushiro, unconsciously touching the screen to reach her.

"Koushiro, you guys, look at this." Miyako said suddenly interrupting the uneasy silence. They turned to see a strange symbol in the tree Miyako had been stuck against.

"It's a crest, Miyako. I knew it! You got a Crest! Hmm, the Crest of Strength." Koushiro said too brightly.

"You deserve it. You were the only one whose digimon could digivolve. I guess we should thank Hawkmon too." Iori said with a smile gracing his face at his taller friend.

"Yeah, he was a real show off." Melina said with forced cheerfulness.

"At such a heavy price. I was just getting to know her. And I have yet to know anything about her. Every time I turn around she has a new face. I had no idea she was scared of anything. I had no idea she could be so savagely angry with a human being as she was at Touji. She's so...unknown." Miyako said, her finger tracing the worn carvings. It glowed faintly and a small tag with the emblem of Strength shining in it floated out of the glow and she held out her palm.

"I guess she' s unknown to all of us. Even her friends." Yukina said sadly as the tag and crest fell in Miyako's palm.

"You guys need some rest. It's been a long day. Sleep in and watch out for her okay? Keep me updated. I have to go or my parents will have a fit. Sayonara..." He said hesitantly, looking once more at Motoko's frowning and sweat-glazed face as she dreamed.

"He's right. Touji will be back by morning, probably by nightfall. He's not totally stupid." Shizuko said, worrying her bottom lip.

Iori wished silently that Touji were totally stupid. He closed his eyes and breathed deep, calming as Tsubaki settled down, the top of her head touching the top of his, Baublemon cuddled in her arms.

Miyako stared at her crest for hours, until the sunset. Motoko was fitfully tossing around and Miyako sighed as she sat up. She opened her D3 and began typing in a message. _Here goes nothing._

_**Today I got my Crest. I'll give you the details tomorrow. That is, if you're talking to me. I got the Crest of Strength. You were right I needed to believe in myself as well as Hawkmon. I am strong. But I'm still not quite sure I'm that strong, not as strong as you think I am. If I were, you would already know what I'm about to tell you. I love you. I've been in love with you since, well, I met you. That thing with Daisuke...I was feeling down, he wanted to cheer me up. He thought being my boyfriend would help and it did, for a while. We finally said we were better as friends with benefits then an actual couple. Too many bruises. Please, just give me a reply soon. I love you Ken. Damn, it feels so nice to finally say it! I LOVE ICHIJOUJI, KEN! **_

_**Your loving loony,**_

_**Miyako. **_

She grinned and then sent the message before she could change her mind. She moved to close the screen when her little mailbox opened and a letter slid out. _Is this it? Will I finally feel my heart break?_

_**I LOVE INOUE, MIYAKO!**_

_**Ken**_

Miyako blinked and then squeezed Poromon to her chest, containing her squeal of happiness. _HE LOVES ME! KEN LOVES ME! ME! STRONG ME! I guess I really am strong, because I definitely feel like the strongest girl in world. _

Poromon squirmed painfully in her arms still asleep and slowly being squeezed to death. She set him down and then lay back down, falling asleep smiling and gazing happily at the screen with the bold words of love she'd waited for.

V V V


	5. Beauty Of Oneself

Chapter Five

Beauty Of Oneself

**You little whore! -smack- Tramp! You'll never feel love! You're just like your mother! A slut! -thud- You make me sick, you little bitch. Run along to your new little boy toy. You're just like your mother, whore. **

**You slut! I knew you'd never love anybody! I was stupid to think you would. I bet you were with some other guy the whole time, am I right? WHORE, WHORE! -hands ripped at her clothes and fingers yanked her hair- **

"No, no I'm not. I'm not like her. No, no! I'm not!"

**Whore, whore, whore, whore, whore...**

"NO, no!"

"Moto, wake up, wake up Moto!"

"Oh my god, Motoko, what's wrong? Motoko!"

"Yukina?" Motoko mumbled through the sticky darkness that echoed the word that sliced her soul. _I have to help Yukina. She sounds frightened. I have to help my best friend._

"Thank god, Motoko." sighed Melina heavily and worried. "What's wrong?"

"She probably had a nightmare. That's what it looked like. Maybe from yesterday's attack." Said the voice of her new friend Iori.

"No. Memories, they were memories," she whispered groggily. She felt a burst of fire in her cheek and let out a cry of pain. She felt it flow into her mouth and she choked as it dripped down her throat. Suddenly, it was gone and she was wide-awake, clutching her throat.

"Motoko?" whispered Yukina.

"I'm fine Yukina, if it wasn't for you I would probably still be trapped in that nightmare. Thanks." Motoko said as Pawmon climbed awkwardly with his overgrown claws unto her lap. She brought him to her face snuggled against his warm fur, fighting back shudders.

"You said it was a memory, memories. What kind of memories would make you cry and convulse in your sleep?" Iori asked her eyes worried and slowly heating up in anger at what she might have been remembering.

"What? I did? You must have been hearing things. I was dreaming I was in a room full of giant tarantulas, like yesterday." Motoko said with a puzzled look.

"I doubt you would cry for something like that. And you kept on repeating, 'I'm not like her. I'm not. No.' What does that have to do with spiders?" Melina asked.

"I have no idea! I'm going to find that river! My teeth feel dirty! I just wish I had a toothbrush." She looked expectantly at the sky.

"What are you looking at?" Miyako asked looking upward too.

"My toothbrush. This world is so wacky I thought one would fall from the sky when I wished for it." She sighed sadly, "I guess I was wrong." Everybody laughed and Melina pushed her towards the river.

"Come on girls. Let's all bathe. We'll clean our clothes too. It's so nice and sunny, it'll be dry in no time, and we'll stay warm. You boys go down river some, okay?" Miyako said racing after the other two girls.

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Yukina said with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I feel like I have a years worth of dirt on me! Come on, Tsubaki. What are you doing?" Shizuko stretched.

"Taichi emailed me." She said simply, closing her D3.

"Oh, looks like Tsubaki has a crush." Touji teased. She walked past him with a toss of her hair.

"Looks like Tsubaki doesn't like someone." Iori muttered under his breath walking down a ways and then cutting into the woods to bathe. He was feeling pretty grimy himself.

"Hey, wait up, man! I don't really feel like being eaten by a fish all by my lonesome." Touji joked racing after him. Iori ignored him and turned away to pull off his shirt. "If this was about yesterday, can we just forget and forgive? I made a mistake. My temper runs in the family. I try really hard to stop it, but it's hard. I've been to the counselor at school sometimes, but it doesn't really help. The stupid prick just 'hmm's and hum's' the whole fucking time. Please? We are the only guys, we need to stick together." Touji pleaded tugging off his own clothes. Iori sighed. The guy seemed sincere.

"All right. But I would appreciate it if you'd refrain from cursing so much." Iori gave in sliding into the cool water and picking Upamon up off the bank to clean him too.

"Yeah, deal!" Touji grinned scrubbing on Circusmon.

"OW! Touji! That hurts!" Circusmon cried painfully.

"Sorry little buddy! We haven't got any soap and you're dirty!" Touji laughed.

"We could always wish for some soap and wait for it to fall out the sky with Motoko's toothbrush." Iori suggested scrubbing Upamon with equal ferocity as Touji. Touji blinked surprised, dunking his digimon in the water, and then laughed.

"You do have a sense of humor!" Touji teased. Iori raised his eyebrow.

"And you're going to kill your partner." Iori replied when Touji forgot about Circusmon while laughing, still a little surprised.

"Shitake mushrooms!" He cried pulling Circusmon up.

"I'm going to drown you now and see how you like it!" Circusmon yelled bouncing up and down on Touji's head. Iori and Upamon laughed loudly as Touji sputtered and tried to grab his vengeful digimon.

"It sounds like they're having fun." Shizuko sarcastically pointed out listening to Iori's laughter floating on the wind. _It sounds so nice. I wish he would laugh more often._ "I don't really recall him smiling, either. He must look adorable." She blushed when she realized she said this out loud.

"Oh my god! Shizuko's falling for the little guy!" Motoko laughed. Shizuko opened her mouth and closed it too embarrassed to talk.

"Oh, how cute! She's speechless." Melina teased.

"That's not cute! She looks like a fish out of water!" Motoko laughed tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"YOU! You BRAT!" Shizuko cried abruptly coming back to life and leaping through the water at Motoko.

"EEP!" Motoko yelped swimming furiously away while the girls laughed and cheered on Shizuko. Yukina heard her D3 beep and automatically opened the screen without thinking, still laughing.

She opened her eyes to meet black ones staring back at her widely. She froze staring at the screen. The one of the cutest boys she'd ever seen was staring at her with flaming cheeks. He had black eyes like the night sky and blue hair the color of an artic ocean bay. Glasses framed his face and he had on a blue school uniform. Her whole body turned red in embarrassment. She was leaning over the bank, half out of the water. Her actually good sized breasts -the one bodily feature she actually was able to flaunt, but never did- were pressing against the purple grass and the older guy had a clear shot at them.

"AH!" she screamed, blushing madly. She slammed the screen down and sunk into the water, humiliated. The other girls wondering what she had seen on the screen curiously opened it up to see the flabbergasted Jyou still staring wide-eyed at the screen.

"AH!" the girls screamed fleeing back into the water. Just then, the boys came crashing through the undergrowth with only their boxers on, just as Yukina popped up to the surface gasping for air. Everybody froze, stared and then all hell broke loose.

"PERVERTS!" Digivices, D3s, clothes and shoes were flung at the two hapless boys, while poor Jyou had to run to the bathroom for some tissue for his nosebleed. When everything calmed down and the girls were low in the water to hide anything and boys had gone back to bathing, sulking, Jyou came back into his bedroom.

"Um, should I call back at a more appropriate time?" Jyou called timidly from somewhere in his room where the girls couldn't see.

While Yukina had been mortified, Jyou had been shocked witless by the appearance of a very pretty girl laughing with the most, in Jyou's mind, beautiful laughter in the world. What he saw was a vision with brown hair turned dark and heavy with water and brown eyes full of happiness. Her face and eyelashes were dotted with sparkles of light from the water, and her skin reminded him of cream. Let's just call Jyou a romantic, shall we? But whatever he saw, it wasn't a mousy haired shy girl, who was a four on the scale of ten in looks compared to her friends, not a raving beauty, but not hideous, just normal. Of course, Yukina didn't know this. She thought he saw a half-naked girl, who wasn't really the girl he wanted to see half naked, and was too startled to speak. That was the reason he couldn't stop staring at her before she'd closed the screen. That was half-true. He was pretty damn shocked. But he couldn't keep his eyes off her face because he thought she was beautiful.

"Oh, no! I know you're busy, Kido-san, right?"

"Yeah, I'm Jyou."

"Well, I'll just get up and get dry and then we'll introduce ourselves properly." Yukina said hurriedly, and blushing.

"Remember to put clothes on when you dry off." Melina advised wisely. Yukina turned redder as her friends and the digimon laughed loudly. Yukina blushed harder as she watched Jyou run out of his room holding his nose.

"Oh, poor Jyou, he got another nosebleed!" Miyako giggled watching the screen from behind Yukina.

"Shut up all of you! I've been waiting forever to meet Kido-san! And the whole thing just backfired on me! He saw me half-naked!" she cried, turning redder and bursting into tears.

"Hey, don't cry!" Came the voice of a concerned Jyou. "It was my fault. I should've emailed you with the others. I just had to go to this seminar." He said angry with himself. "I knew I should have emailed you instead. I didn't really need to go. Will you forgive me?" he begged with a cute -in her opinion- smile and a handkerchief pressed to his nose.

"Yes, of course. Unless you have somewhere you need to go, I'll be right out." Yukina smiled back assuredly. Jyou held back a blush at her smile and sputtered on uselessly.

"NO! You need to take as many baths as you possibly can. You may not get the chance later. You get clean and I'll putter about at home and wait for you to call back." He said.

"But you-"

"No buts, Miss Yukina! Bye!" he shut off before she could protest and she was left staring at the blank screen stupidly.

"That was nice of him." Shizuko commented rubbing her arm viciously to get off an ornery spot of dirt.

"Yes, he's very sweet." Yukina said trailing off dreamily.

"You might want to hurry. You don't want to keep your lover waiting." Melina said swimming past on her back lazily.

"Yes, you're right." She answered absentmindedly. The other girls counted down in their heads expectantly. "WHAT! HE IS NOT MY LOVER! Melina!" the girls snickered quietly, scrubbing themselves and their digimon.

The clothes were lying on the grass in the sun drying from their own scrubbing down and Yukina puffed out her cheeks exasperated.

"I'll never get to talk to Kido-san." She said with a dejected sigh.

"Oh, just put on a shirt, it's okay if it's wet. Just don't put the screen at below waist level." Motoko said lazily stretching cat-like in the sun, drying off.

"It feels weird laying out in the open naked." Shizuko said uncomfortably.

"It's okay. No guys around. Let's dance like chickens!" Miyako said happily dancing around flapping her arms.

"She's crazy!" Melina laughed jumping up to join her. Tsubaki watched them from behind a screen of gold hair and curled up under the tree she was under. Motoko jumped up and spun around and began singing the weirdest song.

"The kitten in the grass is the loneliest! She cries aloud for mother and milk, poor little kitty come on play, dance in the sunshine and enjoy the day. Little kitten, don't be scared I love you always and forever little kitten." She smiled spinning and singing the same thing over again. The others watched her and Tsubaki began to sing too, and the other girls spun around singing the song. Yukina smiled pulling on her wet shirt and then pulled on her plaid skirt and sat in the sun some ways away.

"Hello, Kido-san." She said happily as his face popped up on the screen.

"Hi. I hope you got clean enough. Why are your clothes wet?"

"I'm very clean. We washed our clothes, too." Yukina said chirpily.

"That's a good idea. Who's singing?"

"Well, Motoko's the one who started it, Miyako and Melina are the loudest and Shizuko and Tsubaki are the quiet voices. Tsubaki and I are the only ones not spinning around naked, however."

"Excuse me." Jyou said suddenly. He jumped up and ran to the bathroom holding his nose once more. Yukina laughed clutching her sides. She had the feeling she was going to like a lot more than just his looks.

V V V

It was a couple hours later and everyone was crowded around a fire cooking some strange apples that tasted like meat, besides Melina who was a vegetarian. After dinner the D3's rang and they opened them with lazy grins as they met the faces of their various advisors.

"Hello, koi." Ken said with a small smile, a slight blush on his pale face. Miyako blushed vividly.

"Hello, Ken." She said uncomfortably, but delighted at her new nickname. They suddenly rushed headlong into garbled sentences and then laughed weakly before settling into a more calm conversation about home.

"So, what have you been up to, Melina? Your not scaring poor Iori senseless are you?" Daisuke joked.

"Oh course not, I'm saving all my charms for you. You are my advisor." Melina flirted.

"Yeah, I guess you chose me for my good looks, huh?" Daisuke said with a smug grin.

"Well, yes. But I really wanted Yamato or Taichi. Tsubaki and Touji were too quick for me. How sad." She sighed gloomily, telling a half-lie. Yamato was actually the last one picked, but he didn't need to know that.

"Hey, that's just wrong!" Daisuke whined with tears in his puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, I should get you depressed more often!" Melina squealed with big hearts in her eyes at his expression.

"So, how are you feeling? Are you okay? I didn't get to speak with you." Koushiro asked concerned.

"I'm fine really." Motoko lied, through gritted teeth. Her cheek was starting to make her dizzy with pain and she had been blacking out all day. Pawmon nuzzled her elbow. He knew she was lying and was trying to get her to tell the truth.

"Okay..." Koushiro trailed off, "Iori told me you had a rough time sleeping. He said you were having bad dreams, memories. Why don't you talk to me about them?"

"Oh, they were nothing. Did I tell we went bathing today? I made up a cute little song while we were drying off and waiting for our clothes. Shizuko, Miyako, Melina and I were spinning in circles buck-naked singing it. It was fun!" Motoko said happily. Koushiro turned beet-red and gaped at her.

"With Touji and Iori right there?" he cried out shrilly sending his chair crashing to the floor as he jumped up. Motoko laughed outwardly, and sighed in relief inwardly.

"Tsubaki, Baublemon, what's shaking?"

"Nothing's shaking." Baublemon answered perplexed.

"I meant how's it going? Having fun?" Taichi laughed.

"Yes, today we got clean." Baublemon fluttered. "While the girls were waiting for their clothes to dry they starting spinning around without clothes singing. Tsubaki didn't, but she sang. She sounds very pretty." Baublemon rattled off gaily.

"I'm sure she does. I wish I'd been there." Taichi smiled at Tsubaki. "What was the song you sang?" Tsubaki softly sung the words while Baublemon flitted about her head humming along.

"That's a strange song. But you do sing beautifully. Maybe I can record you sometime? I'd love to listen to you every now and then. Are you blushing?" Taichi asked suddenly.

"Iie."

"Yes, you are! You look really cute! I just wish you'd let me see your eyes." Taichi grinned. Tsubaki shook her head vigorously. And began to sing the kitten song again. He grinned and watched her pale pink lips move, enraptured.

"So, Koushiro updated us on the whole spider thing. Are you and Iori on good terms again?" Yamato asked concerned.

"Yeah. I apologized this morning. He actually made a joke, so I think I'm in the clear. I guess he's a real good guy, eh?" Touji cheerfully replied.

"Yeah. He was raised in a real honor bound kind of home. His grandfather taught him kendo when he was a little boy, and he still trains. He's a serious and mature kid." Yamato told him, his eyes still searching his face.

"He's young, right? Maybe in 6th? That Miyako chick was just joking right?" Touji asked.

"Nope, he's a sophomore. He's sixteen. He's just short." Yamato responded.

"WHOA! NO WAY!" Touji shouted shocked.

"Yes way."

"So, what's been going on? Did I miss anything?" Takeru asked sipping a smoothie.

"Well, me and Touji were almost killed by flying objects when we heard the girls screaming and found them fine and naked in a stream." Iori told him wryly. Smoothie splurted over the screen.

"You guys ran in on them naked?" Takeru choked.

"Well, they were screaming. We, fortunately, had on underwear. We thought another attack was happening. We just reacted." Iori explained. "Shizuko is Touji's girlfriend." Iori added darkly.

"I thought you had a crush on quiet girl. I guess I assumed wrong. Of course, I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to have a crush on a taken girl." Takeru chided, grinning, while wiping off the screen.

"What? I don't have a crush on anybody."

"Then why are you whispering?"

"Why are you?"

"Because you were. Caught up in the moment, I guess." Takeru laughed.

"Well, shut up!"

"So, that's what happened! How scary! I'm glad the Miyako got her Crest though. Only seven to go. Have any idea what yours will be?" Sora asked playfully.

"No. Which really sucks. But I can guess the others. Touji- Masochism. Melina- Joker. Tsubaki- Silence. Yukina- Shyness. Motoko- Idiocy. Iori...hmm...his is hard." Shizuko trailed off while Sora laughed.

"Because you don't know him right?" Sora said understanding.

"No, because Miyako has the Crest of Strength. I thought Iori would have that one. He's always calm and collected, and when Touji hit me, he had such a look in his eyes. I knew if anybody could protect me, he could." Shizuko explained vaguely, her eyes wandering to Iori, where he was currently frowning at his screen fiercely. She giggled and Sora followed her gaze.

"You realize you have a boyfriend right?" Sora said with a knowing smile.

"What? WHAT! Sora!" Shizuko hissed blushing. "Not you, too. I am not falling for him. Touji and I are close! Really close!" she said desperately.

"Are you are trying to convince me or yourself that, Shizuko?" Sora asked her smile fading and her eyes saddening. "It's okay to not like your boyfriend anymore. As long as you don't cheat and you let him go, that is. You're only sixteen. You aren't supposed force yourself to be in love and ready to settle with one guy for the rest of your life." Sora advised her softly.

"I know, but Touji already had his heart broken. And I couldn't bear to break it again. Plus, I do love my boyfriend. Maybe not forever, but I do not like somebody else!" Shizuko insisted.

"Of course not." Sora sighed watching Shizuko's gaze rest once again on Iori.

"I've only known him for a couple days. I can't be in love with him already." Shizuko whispered, unable to stop looking at him.

"Hey, tomorrow Yamato's band is playing. Ever heard of the Teenage Wolves?" Sora asked quickly.

"THE TEENAGE WOLVES!" Shizuko asked her eyes lighting up as she spun around. "Oh, man! I had tickets for tonight's concert!"

"THE TEENAGE WOVLES!" the others girls cried besides Miyako.

"You never told us had tickets!" Motoko whined. "The singer is so hot!"

"Yeah, I know! I love his voice! You can totally melt." Melina sighed.

"I went to their concert once. I got the Ishiida-san's autograph." Yukina piped up.

"You did?" the girls asked enviously. Yukina nodded brightly.

"I got his autograph, too. And I get a discount to all of his concerts, I go to their rehearsals whenever I feel like it and I talk to him all the time. We even went on adventures together in the digital world." Miyako said ticking off her fingers.

"WHAT?"

"Well, he is a Digidestined. Didn't you guys read the footnotes on Yamato? Touji's talking to the lead singer of the Teenage Wolves right now." Miyako reminded them smugly.

"Oh my god! I totally forgot!" Shizuko cried slapping her forehead. Suddenly the Tokyo girls looked at each other and then at Touji.

"What?" Touji asked confused.

"Move it, or you're going to get run over!" Motoko cried throwing aside her D3 and running towards Touji.

"Oh crap!" Touji screamed running away, and taking his Yamato with him.

"GIVE US ISHIIDA-SAN!" the girls cried racing after him.

"HELL NO!" Touji yelled back still running away. The others laughed holding their sides. Motoko stopped abruptly and swayed unsteadily.

"Moto?" Pawmon asked worriedly looking up from grooming his claws.

"I...hurt...black..." she whispered shaking her head. She groaned and fell. Iori had luckily risen to his feet when she had stopped and managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Hey, what's going on?" Takeru asked from the ground.

"Motoko fainted." Iori said calmly.

"Is she okay?" shouted Koushiro.

"I don't know yet!" Iori snapped. "I'm not a doctor!"

"I wish I was there. I could help." Jyou said worriedly.

"Motoko?" Iori asked suddenly. Her eyes had opened; though her pupils couldn't be seen and her irises were shadowed weirdly. She rose herself off the ground and walked towards Touji.

"You bastard." she chanted quietly and dead-like. "I'll kill you for what you did to me!" she cried out swinging her fist. He let out a whoosh of breath as her fist collided with his stomach.

"MOTOKO! Stop it!" shouted Shizuko grabbing her around her waist. Motoko bit and scratched to get away, running towards Touji.

"I'll kill you." She whispered striking out with her foot, smashing against his ribs.

"What's wrong?" cried out Sora.

"Motoko! Stop it! What happened?" Koushiro shouted, shaking the screen of his computer. "Let me in damn you!"

"Tsubaki, what's happening? Why's Koushiro wigging out?" Taichi asked leaning on his desk to try and get a closer look.

"Motoko's trapped in her nightmare." Tsubaki answered, her eyes widening as she looked towards him. "There's something terribly wrong." Her voice quavered as her eyes shined. Taichi didn't say a word, too surprised to think. Her eyes...he finally was looking straight into her eyes. He couldn't even breathe, and his chest tightened painfully at the emotions surging in those incredible eyes. Tears suddenly fell from her eyes and she glanced away, shielding her face with a veil of gold hair.

"I have to help her." She whispered shutting off her computer. Taichi was left staring at the black screen.

"Wait! Tsubaki!" he said jumping up, finally pushed out of the strange numbness. "Oh, shit!" he snapped kicking the leg of his desk. "OW! DAMN IT!"

"Motoko! Motoko! STOP IT! What are you doing?" Melina shrieked grabbing her arm. She yelped as she was flung some good feet away.

"What's wrong with her?" Daisuke asked, as he watched her hit the ground with a thud about three feet away. Melina winced.

"I don't know. But I have to...do something..."she trailed off helplessly as Miyako was kicked into a tree.

"Ah!" Miyako gasped, her back arched as she landed on the ground in pain.

"Miyako, where are you? Miyako, what happened?" Ken frantically called out pounding on the screen with his fists.

"I'm fine...koi..." she whispered, and then winced as a sharp pain raced through her. "Just fine..." she blacked out.

"Touji, why the hell is she after you?" Yamato asked with wide blue eyes as Touji managed to dodge a punch.

"How the hell should I know?" Touji asked. Yamato frowned. Touji was definitely hiding something. "Oh, crap! Sorry man!" Touji apologized as his D3 was sent spinning to the ground as he slid across the grass. "Damn it. She can kick."

"I'll make you regret ever touching me, Miyazawa, Touji." Motoko said, her voice still dead-like.

"Motoko, snap out of it!" Iori yelled standing in front of her. "Don't make me hurt you." Motoko stopped and looked down at him. Her eyes flashed, and she hit the ground on her knees.

"Make it stop." She whispered. "MAKE IT STOP!" she grabbed the hair at her temples and Iori wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"What is it, what do you see?" Iori whispered.

"Him. He won't stop it. I'm not like my mother. But he says I am and he's touching me..." she whispered back convulsing. She flung herself away from Iori, and crawled on her hands backwards and shaking her hand. "Don't touch me. Just stay away." Touji rose up and walked towards her and her eyes, still blank, glanced up at him. "You stay away from me!" she yelled scooting back more.

"I just want to help." He said crouching down on his knees. "Are you dreaming about your father again? Let me help like I did before." He whispered touching her cheek. She flinched and then bit his hand.

"TRAITOR! Don't you dare touch me! Get away!" she kicked at him, and he doubled up and she kicked at him again. He lunged at her with a yell and they went tumbling down the downward slope that led to the river.

"I thought I said I'd kill you if you told anyone?" he whispered in her ear, his hands around her throat. She gasped and scratched at his face.

"Let me go...monster. You're worse than my father." She croaked pulling at his hands.

She heard distantly the sounds of the others following them, than she felt the water surround her. The shock of cold made her gasp and she choked on the water. Touji's hands still surrounded her neck and she couldn't get the water out of her throat. Her head hit a rock and she went limp, her body still flooded with the pain that raced through her veins. _Poison..._she thought as the river carried her down stream. _My blood feels like it's on fire. From my cheek...the poison came from the bite on my cheek...I guess I'm going to die like this. Without telling my friends the truth...without being able to save Shizuko...without telling Koushiro that I truly do love him, even if it has been three days. _A dark figure was in swimming towards her swiftly, a person clinging to the horn on its nose.

V V V

Yukina and the others raced to river to see Touji in the water and suddenly rise out of it gasping. Cirusmon jumped up and down agitated.

"She hit a rock! And I couldn't grab her! The river is too swift! I would digivolve but not even Trapezemon would be much help. He's a humanoid digimon." Touji gasped out hurriedly. "Yukina! You have to use Dolphimon."

"I can't, Dolphimon is too small, she couldn't carry both me and Motoko." Yukina said desperately. _I'm going to lose my best friend because my digimon can't digivolve past Whamon because I'm not good enough._ " Whamon would be too big, she wouldn't fit in the river..."

"And you can't digivolve past Whamon." Melina groaned softly. "Motoko's going to drown."

"DO something! You're going to let her die? She's always helped you! She's always been there for all of us, and you won't do shit!" Shizuko yelled grabbing Yukina by the collar of her shirt.

"I'm not good enough to save even my best friend. I'm just a nobody! I kept thinking every night that I couldn't believe I had friends like you guys, or how Motoko was always there to tell that what makes me special is being a good friend. Every night I would cry because I was the only one who couldn't do anything, I wasn't beautiful like all of you, or my mom. My mom's a model; everyone thought I'd be beautiful like her, or special like my genius dad.

"Motoko helped me realize even if I'm not like them, I'm still beautiful inside. Now I can't even help her, because she was wrong. There's nothing that makes me special." Yukina blurted out, tears streaming from her face. She clutched at the D3 she held against her chest.

"You're wrong Yukina." Came muffled voice. Yukina blinked and held up the screen to see Jyou still there. "Everybody's beautiful, and so are you. I never thought I was worth anything either, I was just going to be a doctor because my dad told me to. My friends taught me that I am worth something. Motoko was right in saying you were beautiful, because you are. You're one of the most beautiful people I know." Jyou smiled. Yukina blinked and then smiled back. She took a deep breath.

"I'm not letting Motoko go without a fight. I am beautiful, just like she said, and I have to thank her for telling the truth and making me believe in myself, just like you have." The water glowed and a symbol rose from the deep. It hit Yukina in the heart and glowed on her chest, her digivice was flashing wildly in her pocket. "FINMON GO!"

digivolving "Dolphimon digivolve to Whamon! Whamon digivolve to..."

"NORWHAMON! The Horned Unicorn of Beauty! Let's go, Yukina! We have to save our friend!" Norwhamon splashed into the water and Yukina dived after her, after giving Iori her D3. She didn't even notice the glowing crest on her chest, the tag and necklace appearing with it.

_There she is, Norwhamon! Thank goodness you're so fast._ Yukina telepathically sighed in relief, one of the new talents she had with her Ultimate digimon. She held onto her horn as they swam for Motoko's limp body in the water.

_My program is based on dolphins and porpoises. I have their kind of skin and therefore move just as rapidly as they can._ Norwhamon slowed next to Motoko for Yukina to grab her and then shot to the surface. (The water was pretty deep, and they were on the river bottom.) They rolled onto the grass and Norwhamon de-digivolved to Finmon.

"Is she alright?" Finmon asked worriedly. Yukina said nothing and started CPR.

"GO, get the others, now!" she ordered while pressing down hard on Motoko's chest five times.

"Right away." Finmon said, bouncing away as quick as she could, her tail flopping behind her.

"Breathe Motoko!" she pleaded desperately. _If I hadn't faltered back there, she could be alive! But I'm not going to stop! Not until she breathes again._ " Oh my god, you're bleeding!" said after breathing into her mouth. "And there are bruises around your neck...finger marks." Yukina's eyes narrowed. She suddenly remembered Iori's words and then what Motoko had said to him and how she was acting towards Touji. "Touji is lying to us. And so are you. But you've never lied...except to Koushiro...but why?" she pressed hard on her chest and Motoko coughed and spit up water. Yukina moved her head gently to the side so that the water wouldn't choke her by going back down her throat and continued CPR, knowing that there was probably more water in her lungs.

"Oh my god! Is she okay?" Melina cried out, racing towards Yukina and Motoko, just as she spit up more water.

"She's unconscious. When I found her she wasn't breathing. Luckily, I was able to resuscitate her. But some of the bruises on her are confusing. Maybe Touji would like to explain them to us." Yukina answered her eyes flaming.

"What are you talking about? Is Motoko okay?" Touji asked bewildered.

"Why do you keep blaming Touji for every bad thing?" Circusmon asked bouncing up and down angrily.

"Let's talk about this later! Motoko needs medical attention quick!" Miyako said quickly.

"Yes, and I have a feeling when Motoko wakes up she'll have a mouthful to say." Iori agreed eyeing Touji. Touji frowned.

"If she does wake up." He snapped stalking off.

"There is something wrong guys." Yukina said panicking.

"What?" the others asked turning away from where Touji had walked away.

"She's alive, but she can't breathe for herself!" Finmon gasped as Yukina bent over to breathe into her mouth once again.

"If I stop she might die!" Yukina puffed pressing into her chest.

"If I was there I might be able to find out what is wrong." Jyou said frustrated. "She needs to be here now!" Suddenly Motoko's body began to fuzz and Yukina cried out startled. "OH MY GOD!" Jyou cried out and they looked at the screen in Iori's hands.

"OH MY GOD!" they repeated shocked. Motoko was in Jyou's lap, blood from the back of her head staining his pants.

"How in the world did she get in here?" Jyou asked shocked.

"WHO CARES? GET HER TO THE HOSPITAL, JYOU!" everybody yelled. He blinked and then jumped up running out his door. The remaining Digidestined looked at each other bewildered.

"How in the world did she get back?" Miyako asked, voicing their thoughts.

"I don't know, but we have to get to Touji. You guys are right, Yukina, Iori. Touji's not telling us something. I think it has to do with their break up." Shizuko said shakily. Iori put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. What ever happens you have me." Iori said with a comforting smile. Shizuko blinked and then wrapped her arms around Iori, crying hysterically, her teeth gripping on of her wrists, trying desperately not to lose herself. He knelt on the ground, holding her around the shoulders, while their friends looked on.

"Koushiro." Yukina said suddenly.

"Oh shit! He's going to freak!" Melina yelped racing towards the clearing where they left their things.

V V V


	6. Faith Is All It Takes

Chapter Six

Faith Is All It Takes

"Man, can you believe it? Koushiro finally gets a crush, and she a crush on him, and then she falls into a coma. Thank Kami, Jyou lives on campus and got her to the college hospital." Daisuke murmured sadly walking into the hospital with Ken.

"Yeah. Miyako told me that the team is really stretched thin. They can't find Touji and the wild digimon have disappeared. The only enemy they've run across is that giant tarantula." Ken told him.

"I wish Melina would talk to me like Yukina and Jyou talk to each other." Daisuke said sadly. "Ever since Motoko appeared back in the human world two days ago, Melina hasn't spoken to me. I've tried, but she never talks about it, or Motoko. Pawmon is supposedly going crazy and she and Lizmon have been taking care of him. She told me he can't sleep at night and she stays up with him. But Jyou told me Pawmon has been hanging with Yukina and Melina's been the one not sleeping at night." Daisuke sighed.

"Don't give up, Daisuke. Melina and Motoko were close. Miyako told me they lived together in the human world. Melina is an exchange student from America and Motoko's grandparents had been the parents chosen to take her in." Ken explained. They suddenly stopped talking as they reached the door 209.

They opened the door and glanced in. Their eyes saddened seeing Koushiro next to the bed. He was holding Motoko's hand and his head was resting on the bed, his eyes closed in sleep. Motoko was connected to a dozen machines, it seemed to the two teenagers, to help her breathe and make sure she stayed alive.

"Poor Koushiro." Said a voice behind them. They jumped, just barely remembering not to shriek aloud.

"Taichi!" hissed Daisuke under his breath.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya. I came here to bring Koushiro home. He's been neglecting his homework, not eating, and rarely sleeping. His parents are concerned, and so am I." Taichi explained with an abashed grin.

"Huh? I'm not leaving." Koushiro murmured sleepily waking up.

"You woke him up!" Daisuke scolded angrily.

"I shouldn't have been asleep anyway." Koushiro shot at Daisuke.

"Koushiro, Motoko's not going to been very happy when she wakes to see a distraught eighteen year old. Plus, you're in college. She'd probably kill you for messing up your future for a girl you knew only for three days before she got knocked unconscious." Ken said kindly placing a hand over Koushiro and Motoko's.

"But I can't leave her. What if she wakes? I need to be here to explain to her what happened." He glanced down at the comatose fifteen-year-old.

"No one can explain exactly what happened." Ken looked at her sadly. Her head was bandaged and the finger-like bruises on her neck stood out vividly on her pale skin.

"Besides Touji." Taichi whispered. Koushiro shook with the familiar anger.

"I'm going to eradicate that sadistic liar." He spat, rage making his vision go red.

"Whoa, Koushiro, stop it! Anger isn't going to make her wake up! And neither will murder. If anyone's got that right, Motoko does, not you." Daisuke said quickly, worried. Koushiro sighed running a hand through his messy red hair.

"Sorry, but I haven't been myself lately. I don't care that it has only been three days; she's...never mind. Let's go Taichi." Koushiro said abruptly changing the subject. "I've been falling behind in my studies too long. I need to catch up and apologize to my professors. Thanks you guys." He said with a small bow towards Ken and Daisuke.

"I hope Motoko gets better soon, if only for Koushiro." Daisuke murmured sadly putting his bouquet of flowers on the small table under the window. He filled a vase Ken had brought from home and put the bouquet up next to the several others. "So many people are touched by her. And yet none of them know what happened between her and Touji."

"And all of them agree she's never lied, even her grandparents have never had a problem with her lying. Even if she got in trouble for it, she'd still tell the truth." Ken said walking towards the door.

"But we all know she's lying about something. Something really important, too." Daisuke stated worriedly. "Let's just hope it doesn't affect the others in the digital world too much."

V V V

_**Miracles do happen, Melina. I have the Crest of Miracles, so there's a proven fact. If you give up, what's stopping Motoko from giving up? I'm your advisor, Melina, and my advice is to have faith in Miracles. Faith is all it takes. **_

_**From Daisuke**_

"Geez, we haven't heard from Koushiro for two days!" Melina cried out suddenly, snapping her D3 closed with a swipe of her hand across her face. The others turned, still walking.

"Why does that bother you? It means he's by Motoko's side for us." Shizuko snapped.

"Well, the others can't really explain what's wrong. Jyou hasn't had time to check on her because his schedule is hectic enough, and none of the others were allowed to hear the progno-thingie. Only Koushiro knows, and he won't leave the damn hospital!" Melina explained frustrated.

"We all want to know what is wrong. We all want to know when she'll get better. But Koushiro is pretty beat up about this. He needs time for what ever her prognosis is to sink in." Miyako spoke comfortingly.

"I know, I just miss her." Melina murmured.

"We all do." Yukina sighed.

"Don't worry, Koushiro will contact us soon. He's a practical, but sensitive sort of person. He's probably beating himself for not probing her more carefully about how she was feeling." Iori said trying to lighten the mood.

"He loves her." Tsubaki said simply. The others jumped. After the incident two days before, Tsubaki hadn't spoken at all. She hadn't made contact with Iori either. Iori had been feeling a little concerned and sad because he was now used to her quiet presence near him and missed it.

"But he's only known her for three days, well, now five..." Miyako said trailing off.

"I've never known Koushiro to have a crush, let alone fall in love with a boy-crazy girl in three days." Iori agreed.

"Because he's never loved until now." Tsubaki replied softly. Iori blinked, did a tear just fall?

"Well, that sucks for Koushiro. He's finally fallen in love and she's just about dead."

"Melina!" Yukina gasped. Shizuko walked up to her and smacked her. Melina just stood there unmoving, her face turned to the side from the force of Shizuko's slap.

"Don't you ever say that again! If we don't have faith in her, we might as well dig the hole right now." Shizuko seethed her eyes flaming red in rage.

"Faith doesn't exist." Melina whispered.

"What?" Miyako gaped confused.

"Shizu!" cried out a small voice. Shizuko looked down to see Quimon bouncing up and down agitated.

"Has Quimon ever spoken before?" Miyako muttered under her breath to Iori. Iori shook his head.

"What is it?" Shizuko asked worried.

"I found something! Upamon and me found digimon!" Quimon told her frenziedly.

"Where?" Iori asked quickly while the others gasped.

"This way! Upamon is still there." Quimon bounced ahead of them and turned the corner. They all gasped in awe. A large block sat in the middle on the road. A small opening was right in front of them and they looked through it to see the other side.

"What's the point for the tunnel?"Shizuko asked annoyed.

"It's not a tunnel!" said the squeaky voice of Poromon. They all turned to him to see him shaking in Miyako's arms. Quimon jumped unto Shizuko's shoulder and hid in her long hair, shaking in fright. She tugged on her bottom lip in worry. Nothing had scared Quimon before.

"Upamon, where are you?" Iori called out, an edge of fear in his voice. What ever was scaring the others' digimon partners might have his partner.

"Iori!" Upamon cried out, relief evident in his tone as he sailed up into Iori's waiting arms, trembling furiously.

"Upamon! You're okay!" Iori smiled hugging his partner in happiness. "Why did you stay behind if you were so scared?" Iori asked.

"Because then it'd vanish again!" Upamon explained snuggling into Iori's shirt.

"What? Vanish?"

"This building was invisible! You had to be searching for it to find it. If we didn't know it was here, we wouldn't be able to see it!" Quimon piped up.

"How did you know it was here?" Shizuko asked.

"Finmon." Quimon said as if that answered everything.

"What? Me?" asked Finmon confused.

"When Yukina's crest came out of the water, I was up in a tree, out of the way watching the commotion and when I realized something was glinting in the air. But nothing was there. I realized I was seeing the reflection of the Crest! But there was no mirror in sight! I told Upamon a couple nights ago, and we've been ahead of you guys trying to find the mirror. This was the mirror. The walls reflect the forest around it. And that's why there's a tunnel on the bottom, some we can walk right through it and not notice." Quimon said.

"But if it's a mirror, why aren't we looking at ourselves? And isn't it still invisible, so to speak?" asked Iori.

"It's a very messed up mirror." Upamon said brightly. Iori frowned.

"That's just the way it was programmed." Quimon said cuttingly.

"Sorry Quimon." Upamon said abashed.

"Well, how do we get inside?" Miyako asked putting her hand against the cold wall.

"Through the tunnel! There's an opening." Upamon said.

The group walked in and saw a ladder built right into the wall and Iori put Upamon in Miyako's arms before climbing up. His reached the top and pushed at the roof of the tunnel. A square disappeared and he almost fell.

"Iori! Are you okay?" Shizuko cried out alarmed. He looked down carefully; sweat forming on his forehead, his feet almost slipping off the rungs of the ladder.

"Yes. I just got surprised. I'll be right back." Iori assured the girls below before hoisting himself through the opening.

"If Motoko was here she probably point out that he's acting like a total macho guy and he's having all the fun." Melina said suddenly. Yukina and Miyako giggled and Shizuko smiled slightly.

"That's definitely sounds like my Moto." Pawmon said sadly.

"Get up here quick! You need to see this." Iori said, his head appearing at the square. Miyako threw Upamon at Iori and there was a muffled thud and Upamon crying. "Why did you do that?" Iori asked pissed.

"Because I need my hands to climb, take Poromon too!" Miyako said brightly throwing Poromon up.

"Miyako! How could you do that to me!" Poromon whined. Miyako giggled climbing up the ladder, and turning to catch the other girls' digimon to pass up to Iori. By the time Tsubaki and Baublemon (Baublemon had flown) reached the opening, the others were standing in shock at the sight before them.

"This is horrifying!" exclaimed Miyako, running forward. Cages lined the walls and in each small glass cage, an In-training digimon was shackled and linked to wires. Numbers and symbols that Koushiro might find familiar raced and beeped over the walls, floor and ceiling.

"We have to get them out!" Pawmon said scratching at a cage with his claw. He didn't even make a mark.

"We could have passed a dozen of these and not known." Yukina whispered. The others froze in horror.

"What's happening to them?" Shizuko murmured aloud, touching the cage of a Motimon.

BEEP!

"It's Koushiro!" Iori said pulling Motoko's D3 out of his pocket.

"What's wrong with Motoko?" The group cried instantly.

"She's in a coma."

"We know that!"

"It seems that she was bit by the tarantula and didn't tell us. The doctor found an opening on the inside of her cheek where it was inflamed and had traces of a strange secretion. She must've swallowed it without knowing. It got into her bloodstream and then into her nervous system. It worked itself into her brain and is keeping the neurons from sending messages to the rest of her body. She can't even breathe on her own. The strange thing is, it's not destroying her tissues, but just blocking her brain off from her body. It's mainly affecting her memory side of her brain. The doctors believe in a state of non-stop replays of her past." Koushiro told them a dead tone.

"So in other words, she's stuck in her memories?" Shizuko asked quietly. Koushiro nodded.

"She can think, but she can't wake up. And even if she does wake up, because of the brain's lack of communication to her body, it'll take awhile for her body to relearn how to receive messages from the neurons. She may have to relearn how to move, balance, walk, and even speak. And there's a chance that she'll never do any of those functions, including others, ever again." Koushiro added, his voice getting quieter.

"Kind of like a stroke?" Yukina asked.

"Yes, in some ways. Only there's a chance she'll be stuck in this coma for the rest of her life. They have no way of telling when she'll wake, or if she ever will. The bruises on her neck, the large bump on her head, nor the concussion on the base of her skull can heal without her brain sending the messages to tell the body to do so." Koushiro closed his eyes and breathed slowly, his fists clenching beneath the desk.

"In other words, if worse come to worse, we may have to pull the plug ourselves and kill her." Melina whispered.

"NO, WE WON'T! Motoko will wake up! I will find the way to get that poison out of her body myself. It came from the digital world, and I'm going to find it." Koushiro yelled standing up. "I'll not allow anybody to pull the plug and commit murder on a fifteen-year-old girl! Especially not a girl with so much life and talent. Have you found Miyazawa?"

"No." Iori growled, bristling. "But we will." Shizuko glanced at Iori.

"But we did find something strange." Miyako said suddenly.

"What?"

"We found some of the missing digimon." Yukina said. "And we have a feeling that they're in trouble."

"What do you mean?"

"You might be able to get something out of it, being the techno geek that you are." Melina said moving out the way as Iori held the screen up to the cages.

"Oh my god." Koushiro gasped under his breath. "Who did this?"

"We have no idea. Upamon and Quimon found this place. Maybe you can figure it out for us. We don't get it." Iori said.

"Hook a link into a computer outlet." Koushiro said immediately immersed in the mystery. They looked around and finally found one.

"There's always an outlet in this place. You could probably find one on a tree." Melina joked.

"It _is_ the _digital_ world." Lizmon said offended.

"Okay, now you have to send me this data through email." Koushiro told Iori. The girls walked over to the cages while Koushiro told Iori exactly what to do.

"So, do you think Motoko will wake up?" Melina asked nonchalantly.

"I believe in Motoko. I know she will." Yukina said holding her hand over her heart.

"I don't think so. She can't even heal herself. How the heck can you expect her to wake up?" Melina replied dubious.

"How can you say that?" Yukina exclaimed.

"Easy, it's true."

"Damn it Melina! Have a little faith!" Miyako snapped.

"Faith doesn't exist." Melina repeated.

"Get a hold of yourself, Melina! If we all had that attitude, Motoko will never get better!" Shizuko muttered lowly. She didn't want Koushiro to hear their conversation.

"And if we all had Yukina's attitude, Motoko would be dead." Melina shot. Yukina stiffened as if slapped.

"Be quiet, Melina! Just stop, right now! We aren't enemies. The only enemy we have if the jerk that did this to the digimon and Touji, who tried to kill her!" Miyako exclaimed.

"We don't know that for certain." Shizuko said weakly.

"The person here who's really hurting is that eighteen-year-old genius and her grandparents. We should be doing the best we can to track down and find Miyazawa." Miyako continued, pretending not to hear Shizuko.

"Why are you guys looking at me that way?" Shizuko snapped.

"You better not help that loser when we find him." Melina replied.

"And you better not fall down on your ass and whine that we're too weak when we battle him." Shizuko defended pissed.

"AH!" screamed Yukina and Miyako as the building started to shake.

"What happened?" Koushiro yelled from behind a blank screen.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out. Pawmon, watch the download. Come on Upamon." Iori said racing to the hole in the floor.

"Wait up, Iori!" Miyako yelled over the building's shaking.

"Holy cow." Gaped Melina.

A giant monster was stomping over the treetops. Suddenly, its eyes opened. It's more than two eyes opened. It had eyes all over its 'body' and out its pupils lasers shot at the block building. Some of the trees had crashed and fire was started to envelope the forest.

"Windommon, GO!"

"Norwhamon, get ready!"

"Four Winged Ty-AH!"

"Rampant Wat-UUGHH!"

"It's no use! Its eyes see everything!" Miyako yelled over the crashing and roaring of the burning forest.

"You'd have to be invisible." Whispered Melina.

"Melina! Your digimon can turn invisible!" Shizuko shouted.

"No, he can't. I've tried before. We all know he couldn't." Melina hollered.

"Yes, he could! You just didn't believe he could, that's the reason he couldn't. You two are partners. You have to have faith in each other to reach full potential." Yukina cried out as Norwhamon once again crashed into the ground.

"Faith never works!" Melina cried out. "How many times do I have to tell you to make you get it?"

"You'll never know if you don't try it!" Miyako yelped dived to the side as a tree crashed where she stood.

"I have tried it! My mother was sick with a brain tumor. She said if I had faith then everything would turn out right. For three years she held on and suffered!" she coughed diving aside as a laser crashed into the ground. "She held onthrough chemo and just got sicker! I never got to say good-bye because doctors took her away saying they might have a chance. She died on the damn operating table! That's what faith got me! A dead mother!" Melina's tears traced lines on her soot-covered face as she coughed. Her fingers dug into the dirt and tears fell creating dark spots on the ground.

"Melina..."

"After that I was given up for adoption and was adopted by a vacationing Hawaiian family who loved England. While I was in the orphanage, they tried to contact my family, but my family didn't want me. I believed someone would want me. I did just what my mum told me to do, and nobody wanted me. I had to be adopted by strangers! Don't you dare tell me to have faith! It does squat!" Melina shouted hoarsely.

"It got you a loving family. And me." said Iguanamon. Melina blinked. And remembered her email from Daisuke. _Have Faith in Miracles...faith is all it takes..._

"No, it takes more than faith. There's no such thing. There isn't! Why would my mother leave me if it existed? I prayed and believed so much. Was it all for nothing?"

"Nothing is for nothing. I have faith in you as my partner. Have faith in me, now." Melina's eyes widened.

"You're right, Iguanamon." She smiled. She closed her eyes. _Have faith my little bird, everything will turn out for the best_..._have faith in miracles_. "I believe in Miracles. I have faith in you, partner. Let's get 'im!"

"Iguanamon digivolve to Chamelemon!"

"Turn invisible, Chamelemon!" Melina cried out. Chamelemon fuzzed out and then disappeared.

"Tongue lash!" they heard Chamelemon yelled. The monster winced and then looked around wildly for the perpetrator. Windommon and Norwhamon tried to help, thinking to use the distraction, but they were immediately shot down.

"Chamelemon isn't a high enough level digimon to take on that thing! He has to digivolve!" Iori yelled.

"Chamelemon hasn't digivolved past Champion!" Melina yelled back frantically.

"He's going to have to!" Shizuko snapped.

"I have faith. Don't fail me this time, please. I believe." Melina muttered pulling out her digivice. "DIGIVOLVE!" Melina yelled. Light flared from the mini screen on the digivice. A symbol flared on Melina's heart and from the sky a crest zoomed down and hit the digivice screen. A tag and crest glowed around her neck.

"Chamelemon digivolve to...!"

A giant iguana on his hind legs stood ten feet tall. He had and outfit similar to WereGarurumon, but...he's a lizard. A light green scar was on his blunt nose and on his chest. "WereChamelemon! The Howling Lizard of Faith!"

"RIGHT ON!" shouted Miyako jumping up excitedly.

"Howling Scales!" yelled the invisible digimon. The bullet fast fist sized scales hit the monster in about six of his eyes. It yowled in pain. "Miraculous Punch!" they watched as the monster was beaten up, it's many eyes swelled up and puffy, by an invisible foe.

"Four Winged Typhoon!"

"Rampant Waters!" themonster shattered just like the tarantula had done and Norwhamon quickly distinguished the fire with a 'Tsunami Tail Whip".

"That's the third Crest!" Miyako exclaimed jumping up and down hugging a jumping up and down Yukina.

"Didn't that thing remind you of an old Greek myth?" Yukina murmured wonderingly to Miyako.

"You're right...it did. I can't recall the Titan's name though." Miyako agreed looking over to her pondering friend. Yukina was immediately lost in thought.

"YAY!" Shizuko laughed meeting Iori's eye. Shizuko stopped laughing and turned away, missing the hurt look on Iori's face.

Melina ran towards her huge WereChamelemon and laughed until tears ran down her face.

"You did it!" she said launching herself into his broad chest. He held her gently so not to hurt her.

"No, we did it, partner." His deep voice grumbled. She nodded wiping tears away and leaving the soot streaked over her face.

"Yes, we did. I have to email Daisuke and tell him thanks for not giving up on me." She said, sniffling. WereChamelemon de-digivolved and she ran towards the others holding Lizmon in her arms.

V V V

"And that's how I got my Crest. Thanks to you and my friends, we won!" Melina ended snuggling with Lizmon, who protested sleepily.

"Congrats, Mel!" Daisuke laughed. "But did you really have to wake me up at twelve in the morning to tell me this?"

"Well, we were so caught up in trying to find a way to free the digimon, that by the time we set up for camp, it was already eleven. And I wanted to wait until the others fell asleep.

"So you could wake them up too?"

"No, so I could be alone with you. I've been lying to you, and I wanted to apologize. Motoko always said to tell the truth. And I'll honor that from now on. I also wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"Your email." She said exasperated. "Didn't you listen to me? If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have gotten my Crest."

"Yes, you would have. You had faith in yourself all along. Even if I hadn't emailed you, your friends and the memory of your mother would've been enough to show you that."

"I guess you're right. But your email helped. I appreciate it." She blew him a kiss and winked. "Time for me to get my beauty sleep. Nighty-night, Miracles." She shut off her D3 and snuggled into the soft grass and fell asleep instantly.

"'Night, Faith." Daisuke whispered shutting his own D3.

V V V


	7. Tranquil Love

Chapter Seven

Tranquil Love

"Tsubaki, I haven't seen you talking to Taichi in a awhile. Has he been busy?" asked Iori.

Tsubaki stroked Baublemon's fur without answering and Iori just sat down next to her used to it.

"Shizuko hasn't been acting like usual either. I thought it was because of what we found in the digimon cage building, but I don't think that's it. Maybe she misses Touji?" Iori pondered with frown.

After Shizuko had cried on his shoulder that day Motoko appeared in the Jyou's lap, she had been aloof from everyone and often turned away from Iori whenever he tried to talk to her. The strange thing was, he often found her looking at him when she thought he didn't notice.

Suddenly, Tsubaki leaned over Iori and looked him right in the face. He blinked.

"Your eyes..." he whispered startled.

"Do I disgust you?" she whispered her eyes over flowing with tears, and her voice trembling.

"What?"

"Everybody who sees my eyes, they gasp and look away in fear or disgust." Tsubaki explained tearfully. Iori blinked remembering Touji's reaction when Tsubaki looked him straight in the eye and told him to stay away from Motoko.

"Oh, Tsubaki..." Iori whispered. Wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her gently, his cheek against her hair. "If your eyes are strange, it's okay. They make you special, and beautiful in your own way."

"Thank you, Iori." Tsubaki whispered grabbing onto his sleeves. "Taichi was scared of me. As soon as I saw his smile when we were picking our advisors I knew he would see past my eyes, and what they meant...I was wrong."

"What? Taichi? I think you're mistaken, Tsubaki. Is that why you haven't been talking to him anymore?" he asked pulling her away to look at her. She nodded sniffling. "Tell exactly what happened." He said smiling. She smiled faintly, her pale lips still quivering.

"What's going on over there?" asked Melina with a suggestive grin.

"How would I know? Or care?" Shizuko snapped.

"Looks like somebody's got a green eyed monster on their shoulder." Melina 'tsk'ed waving her finger back and forth.

"If that finger gets any closer, the green-eyed monster is going to bite it off."

"Ouch!" Melina cried out mockingly.

"I don't think Tsubaki sees Iori that way." Yukina said suddenly looking up from typing an email to Jyou.

"What? But she just hugged him and looked him in the eye! She doesn't do that with her own family!" Melina replied surprised.

"Because her family is disgusted with her like Touji. Iori didn't even flinch. Well, okay, he did flinch, but at first sight they are pretty surprising." Yukina explained patiently.

"So, what makes you think they aren't getting in on?" Shizuko asked as if it didn't matter.

"One: Tsubaki's reaction to Taichi. Two: Iori didn't kiss her even though they were definitely in kissing range. Three: We all know Iori has a crush on you. Oh, my! Did I just say that?"

"Yukina! I'm going to kill you!" Miyako yelled jumping up.

"I didn't mean to Miyako-san!" Yukina yelped flinching.

"You weren't supposed to say anything!"

"What's going on?" asked Iori walking up holding Tsubaki's hand. Shizuko looked away angry with herself. _I have a boyfriend! I shouldn't think about Iori that way. Of course, Touji is a bad guy now. A total liar and almost murderer..._

"NOT GOING THERE!" Shizuko yelled out. Everybody looked at her. "What? I have little voices in my head, don't you?" Shizuko asked with a shaky grin and huge sweatdrop.

"Roight." Melina muttered.

"Oh, you too? YAY! I'm not crazy!" Miyako exclaimed happily.

"Let's not crash her hopes." Melina said under her breath.

"Right, where'd you put it again, Tsubaki?" Asked Iori shaking his head, baffled. Tsubaki pointed and he picked up her D3. "Okay, you don't have to do it now. But you have to do it soon. Taichi was probably just startled, like I was." Iori said handing it to her. The others watched interested. "Tsubaki, promise me you'll email him."

"I promise." Tsubaki murmured so quietly he barely caught it. He smiled softly.

"Great, let's get going. Pawmon found a scent by the block building from yesterday. He said it might be from the evil creature that created that...thing." Iori said, turning to the others.

"It smells familiar!" Pawmon said scratching his nose.

"Really?" asked Miyako, her brows snapping together. "Do you know what it is?"

"No..." Pawmon admitted, "but I almost got it...I just need to think..."

"Well, I say we go! We really have nothing else to do. Plus, I'm hungry. You guys get to munch on meat apples, but I have to make do with granola I had stashed in my pocket before we were thrown here. I'm running low." Melina whined dusting off her bottom and scooping up her dozing Lizmon.

"Herbivore." Shizuko said automatically.

"Carnivore! How can you eat those defenseless creatures?" Melina cried with big eyes.

"Most of those defenseless creatures were born and raised on farms that ensure their sacrifice to man." Shizuko sighed rolling her eyes.

"That's disgusting! How would you feel if catfish made human farms? Humans born and raised to be eaten by the catfish population."

"Catfish don't eat people." Miyako said. She frowned uncertainly, "Do they?"

"NO! At least we aren't wiping out the species! We're just making more in a controlled habitat." Shizuko yelled frustrated.

"Would you eat dog?"

"NO!"

"Well then."

"What?"

"Hypocrite!"

"SHOVE IT! You don't make any sense."

"Carnivore."

"Don't worry, they do this all the time." Yukina said with a sweatdrop and a flap of her hand.

"We should keep it down. Who ever Pawmon's tracking will hear us before we get to them." Iori said with a raise of an eyebrow. Shizuko blushed and turned away muttering. Iori blinked. She did again.

"You think Yukina was telling the truth?' Shizuko asked Quimon rubbing her head.

"I guess, why does it matter? I thought you loved Touji?" Quimon pointed out smugly. _Do I? I wonder how I feel. I'm so confused. Why in the world am I off my rocker about some squirt half my size? I'm going insane. _

"Hey, the forest ended!" Miyako said stopping abruptly.

"Why in the world did you stop?" Melina snapped, wincing at the pain in her butt from falling after bumping into Miyako.

"Because of that." Miyako said raising her hand and pointing.

In front of them rose a long range of mountains, looking from left and right they saw no end. The mountains reached to sky and still they couldn't see the top through the purple clouds. A thin strangling path winded up the mountains and disappeared in the height. Snow blew angry around the mountains and the wind whistled. Yukina shivered instinctively and hugged Finmon close.

"We have to go up there?" Melina asked, her jaw dropping.

"Yes." Tsubaki said.

"You're joking." Shizuko stated incredulous.

"No. A crest waits on the peak." Tsubaki walked forward holding Baublemon close.

"Well, I guess duty calls." Miyako grinned, chasing after the golden haired girl.

"Are you okay, Shizuko?" Iori asked concerned as Yukina and Melina raced after the two others.

"What? Yes, dandy." Shizuko mumbled staring at the high mountains and the small path that never seemed to stop going up.

"Are you afraid of heights?" Iori inquired as he followed her gaze.

"N-no. W-why?" Shizuko asked her teeth chattering as she walked into the freezing wind. A hand clasped her own. She turned to see a blushing Iori.

"I said you'd have me whatever happens." He stated simply. Shizuko blinked and then smiled. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, a blush gracing her own pale cheeks.

"Thank you. But I thought I said I wasn't scared of heights?"

"You're a bad liar." He muttered embarrassed. She giggled and he was jerked forward, almost dropping a happy Upamon.

"Come on, Hida! The others will be at the top before we begin!" Shizuko called over her shoulder, her breath frosting in the air in front of her. Quimon gazed up at the mountains from her head, who knows how she stayed there.

"Aw, what a cute couple!" squealed Miyako with stars in her eyes. "I feel so happy for Iori."

"I don't think Touji will be." Yukina said worried.

"If you think he has a reason for Shizuko to stick with him, you're joking. The only reason she hasn't dumped him for Iori was because of her sense of loyalty, and, well, he's not here to hear the news. Now, look, they're almost here, don't even mention Miyazawa, Kudo." Melina warned.

"I'm not stupid." Yukina answered daintily.

V V V

"This is the third day she's been in this state." Koushiro said looking down on the 'sleeping' girl's form. If I don't look anywhere else but her face, I can make believe she's sleeping. Koushiro thought, brushing her face with his knuckles. "I already miss her." He admitted.

"Time means nothing to the heart, man." Taichi agreed, smacking him on the back. Koushiro flinched.

"How's your own quest progressing?"

"My what?"

"To get Tsubaki-san to talk to you."

"Oh...down the crapper to put it bluntly."

"Very bluntly."

"I didn't do anything! I just, well, her eyes kind of surprised me for a moment." Taichi said uncomfortably.

"So you found out what she is?" Koushiro asked with blank face.

"Yeah, I think I hurt her feelings. I was just sorta staring at her, ya know? But I didn't mean to! I was just so surprised, but not bad surprised, like, 'ew', but like 'whoa'." Taichi tried explain.

"Uh-huh."

"Geez, I felt like I was drowning. Like I couldn't breathe, but it felt nice. Like I didn't need to smile, because I felt too happy to smile. I felt ready to take on the world, but at the same time I felt like melted butter, ya know? Like blind, but able to see colors, beautiful colors, and that's all I needed, those colors, to see." Taichi kicked the wall. "Do you get what I mean?"

"Yes, Taichi, I do. I feel the same way about Motoko." Koushiro said. Taichi stopped.

"But-but...you...you like Motoko. I mean, not like, but, well, man, you're head over heels for her."

"Yes."

"If you feel...the same...wait, no way, man! I don't...I mean, she's like fifteen, sixteen! I'm nineteen! I couldn't, could I?" Taichi stammered.

"Tsubaki is sixteen. And yes, you could. I'm eighteen and in love with a fifteen year old, Jyou probably doesn't think there's another female alive but Yukina, and he's 20 and she's sixteen." Koushiro said calmly.

"But...OH CRAP! And she probably thinks I think she's a freak!" Taichi shouted and then started banging his head on the wall.

"That's not helping matters."

"Well, no, but I deserve a hell of a lot more. How can I fix this? She won't even speak to me!" Taichi moaned miserably, falling against the wall, his head in his hands.

"There is a way you can fix it. You can tell her what you just told me." Taichi blinked.

"But she won't talk to me."

"Try it one more time Taichi, and then a dozens times more. Just don't give up. I never told Motoko how I really felt because I thought she'd laugh, well, not really. To be honest, my practical mind told me to wait, that's love doesn't take three days. But sometimes it does. And I was too late. Now look at her, Taichi, she may never wake up! If she does, she might not walk or speak! She may not be able to go the bathroom on her own, Taichi! I feel like everything died when she refused to breathe on her own. And I wasn't even there. Because a damn _computer_ wouldn't let me through. Don't make the same mistake I did." Koushiro blurted, his shoulders shaking in his effort to keep from crying.

"Hey, Koushiro..." Taichi whispered reaching out a hand.

"Just go and tell Miss Tsubaki what I never told Motoko. Maybe you'll have better luck than me." Koushiro said turning his back to Taichi. He heard Taichi run out the door and the soft thud as the door closed. He slowly fell to his knees and grabbed Motoko's death-white hand in his. _Tentomon, where are you when I need you_? Koushiro cried in his mind, his body numb as hot tears plopped onto the comforter.

**Stop it! Stop it! **

**Don't tell me what to do, whore! You're going to leave me too, aren't you? Leave me just like your mother did. **

**No daddy, no, I love you. **

**-smack- Don't you ever say those words! They're lies! Your mother said that, every night, every day, she didn't mean them, you want to know why? Because there's no such thing, Love's a lie, and your mother's the queen of liars! Love! -thud- Whore. **

**If you tell anyone, I'll kill you. You're dad was right. You are a whore. Love is just a word to you. You say it just to ensnare your victims. -thud- Whore. **

**No, no more! Leave me alone! Don't touch me! Don't touch me! You bastard! I'll kill you first! **

**Stay away from him, Shizuko! He's a monster! Stop it! Stop it! GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! ...Love doesn't exist...he was right...nobody can love me...nobody, if it doesn't exist. **

**What? Who's there? Who's holding my hand? Is somebody crying? Where am I? **

Koushiro gasped looking up.

"Oh my god. DOCTOR YAMAMOTO! Her eyes are open! Doctor!" Koushiro screamed frantically.

He tried to run out the door, but he was held in place by her hand that held him there gently. He stopped and kneeled back down on the side of the bed. Her eyes were wide and unseeing, but open none-the-less. He brought her hand to his face and smiled, tears slipping down her arm. He kissed her fingers lightly and grinned at her through blurred eyes. _She's getting better; thank you, who ever is up there. _

**Koushiro? Koushiro! Where am I?**

V V V

"Tsubaki, your D3 is beeping." Iori pointed out. Tsubaki said nothing. "You know exactly who it is."

"I'm not ready."

"Tsubaki, Iori, what is going on?" Shizuko sighed, staring at the wall of rock to her right. _Don't look down. Don't look down. _

"It's a private matter between Tsubaki and Taichi. Sorry, Shizuko."

"S'kay. Just, don't you dare let me fall." Shizuko grinned.

"Right."

"Hey, will you please stop that infernal beeping?" Melina yelled, her voice bouncing through the pass.

"Lizmon found a cave!" Miyako shouted, her voice also echoing.

"Good, now you can sit down and talk with him. That beeping is really getting annoying, Tsubaki." Shizuko said in a false cheery voice.

Tsubaki slipped into the large crack in the rock face that opened into a cavern. Shizuko gulped and quickly moved for the crack. Her foot slipped on loose pebbles and she let out a short shriek before a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Her hair whipped in the chilly wind and she opened her eyes feeling warm breath against her throat. She glanced down to see Iori breathing deeply.

"Hida?"

"Sorry, I got a little scared seeing you fall." Iori said with an assured smile. He looked up at her, and then looked down, blushed vividly and then looked at the rock. She then blinked realizing why he blushed. Her eyebrow ticked.

"Hida, were you just checking out my boobs?"

"NO! I mean, I didn't mean to! I'm shorter than you!" Iori sputtered. Shizuko looked at him and bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"You're so cute!" Shizuko teased. Iori blushed redder.

"Wha?"

She quickly leaned down and kissed him straight on the lips. He didn't even think, just instinctively reacted, his hand, already grasping her arm, tightened while his other snaked around her waist. They broke away for breath, opening their eyes and locking gazes, black meeting moss. Their lips met once more, lost in the sweet heat that warmed them head to foot. Lightning seemed to dance at their touching lips and his mouth opened as she ran her tongue along his bottom lip.

"See, I told you." Melina whispered towards Yukina.

"It's so beautiful!" Miyako exclaimed quietly, tears running down her face.

"Yes, isn't it? Like a fairy tale." Yukina agreed dreamily. "I want to be kissed like that."

"By Jyou?"

"I'll ignore that."

"They're going at it awfully along, think they can breathe?" Miyako asked worriedly.

"I think Shizuko might be able to last longer, but Iori's a beginner."

"Aren't they just adorable?" Yukina gushed, oblivious.

"If you like the girls knowing more the guys, then they're so adorable it's disgusting." Melina sarcastically replied.

"Shh! You're ruining the moment!" Miyako complained.

"You're the one who brought up the breathing." Melina said defensively.

"Ahem." Tsubaki cleared her throat. Shizuko and Iori parted looking behind Shizuko, dazed. "You might enjoy that more, warm." Tsubaki disappeared back into the cavern. The new couple blinked and then looked at the girls huddled outside on the path.

"Oh crap! Tsubaki! You gave us away!" Melina cried out.

"You were spying on us!" Shizuko accused.

"Um, no?"

"Miyako..." Iori said through gritted teeth.

"AH! RUN! Get inside quick!" Miyako ordered panicking.

"You're going to die!" Shizuko yelled pushing herself through the entrance. Iori shook his head and then stepped aside as the three 'spyers' ran in circles around the small cave.

"Tsubaki?" Iori queried. Tsubaki touched the sun on the top of the D3 with a quiet sigh. She opened the screen to see a dejected looking Taichi. His hair looked wilder than usual from all the times he ran his fingers through it. He looked up with sad honey brown eyes and stopped, blinked and then broke it a grin.

"Tsubaki! I love you!" Taichi exclaimed happily. He suddenly slammed his head into his desk. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" he yelled repeatedly hitting his head. "Did I really just say that? Crap! Stupid!"

"I'll go now." Iori suggested fighting back a grin.

"Stop, Taichi." Tsubaki said worried. She instinctively lowered her eyes.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry! You see I had this whole speech in my head and I just blew it! Wait! Tsu, you're not meeting my eyes. Crap, I'm sorry! I was just surprised." Taichi blundered on. He paused and took a breath. "Please look at me." He begged. She looked up, holding her breath. "Just as beautiful as I remembered." Taichi grinned. Tsubaki blinked.

"I love you, too." Tsubaki said, her voice not giving away her surprise. Taichi grinned. _Maybe that's why I love her._

"That's good to hear, Tsu."

"Tsu?"

"You don't like it? I guess if you'd rather I call you Tsubaki, it's no big deal." Taichi rushed on. Tsubaki shook her head. "Okay, I guess I should tell you why I stared. I'm sorry if you thought I...I thought you were a freak or something. Cause I don't!"

"I thought I frightened or disgusted you."

"What? Why would you think that I would feel that way?"

"A lot of people do, even my family." Tsubaki answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"The only disgusting thing is the way your family, or anybody, could ever feel that way." Taichi seethed vehemently.

"I don't blame them. I am what I am."

"You're an albino. Who cares? That's just makes you special." Taichi shrugged.

"That's what Iori said."

"I guess I'm right then, Iori is a pretty wise kid." Taichi grinned again. Tsubaki's eyes glowed ruby, the unusual shade of red darkening in happiness. Taichi's breath caught in his throat, amazed that he should feel this way about a girl three years his younger. _I don't know if I should be happy for Koushiro or pity him. _

"Br! It's cold!" complained Melina, "I wish I had a guy to snuggle with." She added slyly, nudging Shizuko. Shizuko blushed and looked at the ceiling.

"That's nice..." Shizuko said airily. Melina frowned.

"Would you like me to be more obvious?" Melina grinned.

"No."

"Aw, too much cuddling for rod-up-her-butt Shizuko?" Melina asked cheerily.

"YOU BRAT!" Shizuko pounced.

"Quiet you two. I don't think we're alone." Iori warned, his eyes narrowing into the darkness.

"Maybe we should light a fire?" Miyako offered.

"With what? Our clothes?" Melina snapped rubbing her neck where Shizuko had choked her.

"Well, we could always get Iori and Shizuko to kiss again. That was definitely hot." Miyako thought aloud.

"Remind me to never go on a double date with you." Iori muttered darkly, blushing. Shizuko flamed.

"I don't think that would be a problem. Seeing how you won't live to see yourself in the human world again." Said a voice. A figure stepped out the shadows in front of Iori. Iori doubled over as a fist struck his the stomach, and then he was flung to the ground with a loud thud.

"Who the hell are you?" Shizuko snapped, grabbing Iori and cradling his head.

"Your boyfriend, slut." Touji grinned. Shizuko shuddered. He looked evil.

"You aren't her boyfriend, you asshole! I suggest you throw yourself off the cliff or you'll wish you had before we're done with you." Miyako shouted raising her fists.

"I don't recall dumping Shizuko."

"Duh, after you tried to kill Motoko it was a bit obvious she wasn't going to take you back." Melina rolled her eyes, cracking her own knuckles.

"Which reminds me, Koushiro has been having a hard time. He may like a punching bag. I'm pretty sure he's found out how Motoko got back to the human world."

"Wow, Yukina. You're evil!" Melina said appreciatively. "I like you."

"Shut up, vermin. I only want one person dead here. Don't make me kill you, too."

"You're awfully sure of yourself. You're out numbered." Iori croaked spitting blood.

"Iori..." Shizuko murmured worriedly.

"Shizuko, get over here."

"Go to hell."

"Been there!" Circusmon happily bounced.

"I guess the devil didn't want you."

"I am the devil." Circusmon grinned.

"I wouldn't doubt it."

"Come here, Shizuko. You're still mine."

"Like hell I am! I went out with you because I loved you once! It was nice for a while, but it wasn't meant to be forever! I'm only sixteen! I have every right to stop loving you and to fall in love with someone else or wait until I'm thirty to find the forever kind of love. I don't love you, Touji."

"You're a whore, just like her. You have no idea what love is." Touji's voice dripped poison.

"What do you mean _just... like... her_?" Shizuko asked, an ugly answer slipping into her mind.

"The little whore I failed to kill, thanks to miss ugly over there."

"Moto?" Pawmon asked, his gold eyes widening. "You're the monster! The monster that-"

"Say another word and I'll kill you, hairball."

"I'll kill you first!" Pawmon roared, starting to digivolve, others followed suit.

"Stop! You won't all fit in here!" Iori shouted, rising. Pawmon, now a raging Leomon, ignored him and charged at Touji.

"Big mistake, kitty." Circusmon grinned, digivolving into Trapezemon. Leomon let out a roar of pain as he was kicked towards the small crack in the wall. Trapezemon continued punching, rubble falling from the ceiling. Soon, Trapezemon broke the wall behind Leomon, sending the large lion digimon slipping down the wet slope.

"Leomon!" Miyako cried out as Trapezemon, laughing maniacally, ran down the slope after the barely hanging on digimon.

"Make him stop it, Touji!" Shizuko screamed. She stopped and stared, unable to recognize Touji with the evil twisted face before her.

"Nah, let Trapezemon enjoy himself. I have another goal to accomplish." Touji spun around. He saw Armadillomon standing in front of Iori, his shell gleaming in the darkness.

"Armadillomon, move."

"But Iori..."

"Move."

"Want to take me on yourself little man?"

"I'm a bigger man than you. At least my digimon is my partner, not the one controlling me." Iori said calming, his eyes betraying his anger. "You hurt your girlfriend for being independent from you, you tried to kill a beautiful young woman because she dumped you and threatened to tell us why, and you soak up the evil emanating from your digimon like a sponge. You don't deserve to use your legs, but deserve to slither like the snake you are on your belly."

"Big words, pipsqueak." Touji hissed, his beautiful eyes narrowing.

"Which shows how little you are, bully."

"You little snot!" Touji yelled slamming his fist towards Iori's face. Iori moved his head to side slightly, without even flinching, making Touji fist slam into the wall with a crack. "Fuck!" the girls stared astonished to see a small cut on Iori's face.

"Touji's fist was that fast?" Yukina whispered.

"Iori's head is that fast?" gawked Miyako.

"I thought you knew him?"

"So did I." Miyako admitted to the Hawaiian.

Iori's foot slid Touji's feet out from under him, and then spun away, grabbing Shizuko and running towards the exit.

"The cave's going to fall in!" Iori yelled. The others followed him quickly, fear mounting at the groaning of the cavern.

"Wait, what about Touji?" Yukina asked her voice almost covered by the shrieking of the wind outside.

"He can take care of himself." Shizuko yelled, her eyes burning after the shock of what happened faded. "Stupid bastard."

"Don't be angry at him, Shizuko. He's being controlled by his digimon. I have a feeling I know what Circusmon's Mega level is, but I can't be certain. When Koushiro calls later, I'll ask him to look it up if he can spare the time." Iori whispered into her ear so he didn't have to yell. Shizuko fought the urge to shiver at the feel of his breath and mouth so close to her ear._ I think there's something wrong with me... _"You called me Iori, in the cave."

"What? I just got worried. He hit you pretty hard. I shouldn't..."

"No, you should. I liked hearing you call me Iori." Iori smiled shyly. Shizuko fought the urge to kiss him again. _Damn, he's so cute!_

"That's stupid bastard still thinks you weren't serious. You got to make it very clear to sadistic bastards like that." Melina shouted suddenly, looking over the edge for Leomon.

"Fine, I'll make it clear to every living thing with ears in the freaking mountain range!" Shizuko snapped. She took a deep breath. "I'M IN LOVE WITH HIDA, IORI! NOT MIYAZAWA, TOUJI! AND I AM NOT PROPERTY TO BE OWNED, DAMN IT!"

"Woo! You go girl!" Miyako cheered.

"So, you really think I'm going to give up that easily?" said Touji, suddenly rising up over the edge. Trapezemon was balancing Touji on his feet while he was standing on his head...in midair.

"Whoa! I didn't know he could do that." Melina gasped her eyes widening.

"He's not supposed to. It's not in his program to do so." Iori replied, his eyes narrowing. _Koushiro better have some answers soon._

V V V

After the doctors kicked him out Motoko's room, Koushiro went home to analyze the data Iori had given him. It had been three hours since then, and he was getting frustrated.

"This data is encrypted with so many firewalls, it's like trying to hose down a wildfire in a draught-ridden forest with one hose." Koushiro exclaimed letting his head fall into his hands.

"Honey, I brought you some tea and snacks."

"Thanks, Mom." Koushiro mumbled, without lifting his head.

"Honey, I'm sure you'll work it out like you always do. Now, eat, or you won't have any energy. Which reminds me, how is that pretty young girl in the hospital?" Mrs. Izumi asked curiously.

"She opened her eyes."

"Oh!"

"She didn't wake up."

"Oh."

"She grabbed my hand though."

"Oh!"

"Can't you be a little more articulate, Mom?" Koushiro snapped, raising his head and opening one belligerent eye.

"I'm sorry, dear." Mrs. Izumi said taken aback by her son's tone.

"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm just really stretched thin. I have to write that thesis paper for Prof. Masabe, a person dear to me is in a coma that no doctor has ever experienced before, I can't crack into this damnable firewall, and I don't even have Tentomon here to help me!" Koushiro's voice had slowly gained volume until he was shouting.

"Honey, shh...I know you have a lot to deal with right now, but everything will come out right. And just a little advice, I'm sure even Tentomon will agree with, one thesis paper isn't worth anything compared to losing the one you love. You _are_ my little genius." Mrs. Izumi rubbed his shoulders comfortingly and then rose up to leave. "But you better eat and drink what I just made for you, or I'll get angry." Mrs. Izumi winked at her speechless son and shut the door behind her.

"I can't believe my mom told me not to do my homework." Koushiro muttered shaking his head and retrieving one of the six rice cakes and his mug of tea.

He frowned at the page of mixing up figures and then blinked, choked and threw is rice cake back on the plate and setting the mug on a coaster automatically while lurching forward.

"I can't believe I didn't see it before! A child could've have seen through a code this obvious!" Koushiro began to type rapidly, almost flying over the keys.

His mother peeked in the door and smiled silently before slipping out, taking notice of the abandoned rice cake and tea.

"I found it..." he whispered hoarsely, "I found it...the explanation, the cause...the cure...the cure to Motoko's infection."

Koushiro stared a the screen amazed before saving it on a disk, and then shutting off his laptop and slipping it in his backpack with practiced ease. He slid out his bedroom door and tiptoed down the hall. He had just touched the doorknob when-

"You didn't eat your rice cakes, Izzy." Mrs. Izumi said from behind him. He jumped a foot in the air.

"MOM!"

"I made you a light dinner to munch on instead, and a thermos of tea. I added a little more than usual too." Mrs. Izumi said pressing the lunchbox wrapped in a flower handkerchief into his hands.

"Mom, how did...?"

"Mothers know everything, honey. Especially when their sons are computer fanatics who tune out the world when he's playing on his computer." Mrs. Izumi smiled.

"Thanks mom."

"Of course, dear."

V V V

"Touji, I'm going to rip you apart." Shizuko hissed through her teeth.

"No, that's my job." Tsubaki said suddenly.

"Tsu?" Taichi asked confused.

"It's my turn to kick ass." She stated simply. Everybody stared and Touji began to laugh.

"You? You're nothing but a scrawny little freak. A freak of nature. Did you show your precious Taichi those hideous eyes of yours? Or are you still hiding?" Touji's laughter turned shrill.

Tsubaki said nothing. She merely closed her D3 before Taichi could speak, her eyes lowered. She raised her hand and Baublemon flittered about her.

"Tranquil as the sky, but as strong as the wind." She whispered, the sleet whipping her blonde hair about her pale face. "Those are the words that saved me as a child from destroying myself. Motoko has touched me deeply, and has never left my heart. It is my turn to repay the kindness she had shown me." Her hand dripping with the melted water from the sleet and the wind began to glow. The purple clouds hovering the sky above them shined. A symbol surged down into the small frame of the albino beauty and her digivice flashed. She smiled, her head tipping back as the tag and crest gleamed upon her chest.

digivolving "Baublemon digivolve to Faeriemon! Faeriemon digivolve to Pixiemon! Pixiemon digivolve to...!"

A giant faerie floated in the torpid sky, as though no wind was around her. Her long legs were lavender and her feet were adorned with slippers with wings at the heels. She wore skin-tight shorts with a tube top connected a teach side of the shorts, forming a diamond on her belly and back. Her pink hair was short around her face and lines coming from beneath her hair were over and under each eye to meet at the bridge of her nose, creating a white x-like mask that seemed painted on her face. Her eyes had no pupil or irises, but instead of just being white, they were lavender. Lavender angel wings flared at her back, though transparent butterfly wings fluttered rapidly on top of them.

"Feathemon! The Pixie of the Tranquility!" announced the soft but captivating voice of the Ultimate digimon.

"Look, I peed my pants in fright."

"You're going to do more than just pee." Feathemon said with a dazzling smile. The teens had to shake their heads to make sure they didn't dream the vision saying 'pee'.

"Trapezemon, go!"

"High Wire Chock Hold!" A thin wire that was barely seen glinted in the air as it wrapped around the Pixie's throat. She stood there, her butterfly wings still rapidly beating. Blue blood dripped off her throat on down the wire. She held up her index and middle finger and placed them against he wire as if her fingers made a blade. The wire glowed and snapped, the cut healing as the remaining wire slid off her throat to fall down the mountain.

"My turn! Butterfly Rod!" Feathemon cried. The staff Pixiemon usually held appeared in front of her and she spun it so fast their seemed to be more than one. "Baton Bludgeon!" she cried. The teens stared. _Bludgeon_?

Trapezemon shrieked in pain as the swiftly spinning baton came flying at him. He managed to knock it aside to see that the one staff had in actuality turned into dozens, not one moving swiftly. He swung crazily, the whites of his eyes showing and his mouth foaming. He flew towards the pixie-angel and his hands glowed red as balls formed in them.

"Clown Nose Slingshot!" the red balls in his hand whistled, shooting straight for the calm digimon.

"I like Feathemon's attacks better." Miyako said with a definite nod.

"Come to me, Butterfly Rod!" Feathemon ordered softly raising her hand. It appeared in her hand just in time for her to swing at the red balls. "Home Run!" she laughed as the balls bounced back and hit Trapezemon in the stomach.

"Pixie Turbo!" Feathemon said, still laughing. She was suddenly in front of Trapezemon and, with a pretty grin, her lavender eyes meeting Trapezemon black ones, her kicked with one leg, and then spinning to hit him again with the other, not stopping but gaining speed as she spun, kicking him backwards in the sky. By the time she stopped, Trapezemon was a mass of bruises and blood.

"Feathemon, stop. Finish this." Feathemon pouted at Tsubaki's request.

"But I was having fun."

"Feathemon."

"Oh, alright. Angel Touch!" she pressed her two fingers together like she had done when she cut the wire, and touched Trapezemon's forehead gently, a pink light flaring at the touch. Trapezemon and Feathemon began to scream in pain as her attack began to enter Trapezemon's data, but at the same time it backfired on the angel-slash-pixie.

"Oh no!" Yukina gasped as Feathemon's back arched and she twitched, refusing to stop her spell.

"Feathemon, stop it!" Iori yelled out.

"She can't. It's her duty to heal all evil she fights. Trapezemon is very evil and therefore she must sacrifice her goodness to pain. But goodness always wins." Tsubaki said calmly touching Iori's arm. He looked down and her and nodded grimacing, listening to the harsh screams.

"Not this time!" Touji yelled throwing a large rock at Feathemon's forehead. It distracted her long enough for Trapezemon to get away and soar to Touji before disappearing into the darkness below them.

"I'm sorry, Mistress," Feathemon whispered, "I have failed you. Because of a _rock_."

"No, no, you did beautifully." Tsubaki said gently reaching out with her arms. Feathemon smiled and fell into Tsubaki's arms while digivolving into her Champion level Pixiemon. She pointed with her staff to the edge and the tip glowed faint lavender. A dirty and mussed Pawmon floated up in a lavender bubble, unconscious.

"Oh, Pixiemon! Thank you!" Yukina cried out gratefully grabbing the beat up digimon.

"I thought Touji deleted him! Thank goodness! Motoko will be very proud of this scamp!" Melina smiled tearfully.

"We need to find shelter! This temperature isn't good for any of us and especially not for our wounded!" Iori said searching the rock face with narrowed eyes.

"There!" Miyako pointed gleefully.

"But it on the other mountain! We can't get over there!" Shizuko snapped.

"Yes we can! Windommon is huge! He'll fly us over one by one or two by two." Miyako said holding up a sleeping pink Poromon. Miyako sweatdropped and then shook him hard.

"What? What?" Poromon yelped sleepily.

"Digivolve!" Miyako ordered.

"Oh, alright." Soon, everyone was inside the cavern besides Miyako and Windommon, opting to look for wood.

BEEP!

"Oh, yea, it's Koushiro! We can tell we found another Crest thanks to Tsubaki. He'll tell us what Crest she has." Melina yipped happily pulling out Motoko's D3. "Hullo Izumi-san! How's it hanging? Why are you out of breath?"

"I'm trying to get to the hospital." Koushiro panted. Melina noticed the screen was bouncing erratically and he was flushed and sweaty.

"It's almost eleven, visiting hours are definitely over." Iori pointed out.

"I'm not dim-witted! Do you think I am concerned about some damn visitation requirements? Negative. I managed to get past the encrypted firewalls and figured out the data's code."

"Yeah? And?" Everybody yelped as Miyako appeared behind them holding a bundle of sticks with Hawkmon trailing behind her, tired and dragging his own bundle. "Oh, stop being a baby, Hawkmon!" Miyako huffed dumping her sticks and walking over the grab his load and then picking him up in the other arm as he de-digivolved.

"I'm sleepy, Miyako." Poromon yawned.

"I know, go to sleep, you did very well. Well? What's going on here in the digital world?" Miyako asked, snapping back to Koushiro. Iori hurried over to grab the collection of sticks and leaned over to start the fire.

"Yes, well...let me rest for a minute." Koushiro said setting his Pineapple computer on the steps of the hospital and bent over panting, his hands on his knees.

"Come on! Hurry up!"

"Melina! He looks exhausted! Let him be!"

"Don't tell me you have the hots for him too, Yukina?"

"NO!"

"Stop it, girls!" Iori's voice yelled. Koushiro tentatively picked up his laptop.

"Um, I'm back?" Koushiro said, still a little out of breath.

"Oh, good!" Yukina exclaimed turning from Melina with a raised nose.

"Snob."

"I'm ignoring that, too. What did you figure out, Izumi-san?"

"Koushiro, please, and it's a little complicated. Somebody's been tampering with the digital world's program. It seems for quite some time now, approximately a couple months, somebody or something has been capturing digimon and putting them in those building. The buildings' program is a complicated mass of jumbled bytes that was like trying to untie a tight knot, but I managed to do it. They were creating to suck the fractal code of digimon and use it to create more programs that deny the laws of the digital world firewalls. Motoko was bit by one."

"You mean the tarantula and giant eye monster thing? But who could do that?" Shizuko asked incredulous.

"Someone who knows the digital world, and has an accomplice in the world itself. The culprit is a human and has a digivice to enter at will."

"A Digidestined." The teens in the digital world whispered together, a sickening twisting in their gut.

"Yes, and with a digimon inside corrupted enough to enslaved and drain his fellow digimon."

"Touji." Shizuko flinched, her fingers curling into fists. Iori stiffened and turned to Shizuko automatically putting an arm around her. She flung herself at him, her fists grabbing his shirt, her body shaking. "Ten...nine...eight...seven..."

"Oh man, she's getting the rage on..."Melina choked fear filling her eyes.

"What? When did Aizuko-san and Hida-chan become a couple?" Koushiro blinked.

"Um, on a ledge..." Melina forcibly grinned.

"What do mean 'she's getting the rage on'?" Koushiro queried.

"Um, well...she's counts backward to it..." Melina hedged, sweatdropping, she gulped as Shizuko said 'one'.

Shizuko eyes flamed red as she growled loudly.

"Where's Quimon?" Yukina cried out frantically, the same fear lacing her voice. Iori stared at the violently trembling Shizuko.

"Shizuko! Calm down!" Quimon ordered jumping on her head. Her fists tightened and Koushiro watched Shizuko with his scientist face.

"What's happening to her?" Iori asked worried as Shizuko twitched and her eyes dripped hot tears.

"She's in a rage. It's really confusing. She's had them since she was little. When something really bad happens near her, instead of grieving, she goes into these fits called 'rages'. The last time she did it, she almost killed a guy with one punch and bit off another guy's ear. They robbed an old lady and stabbed the woman on the street right in front of her. It was really scary. By the time she became normal again, three policemen were bleeding and they had to tranquilize her." Yukina explained fearfully.

"She can't control it. She's been going to a psychiatrist, so she can hold it back a little, like if an old lady gets robbed and stabbed, she won't be affected...but..." Melina trailed off.

"If it comes to someone close to her, she can't at all?" Iori finished.

"Exactly."

"That's intriguing...what's the cause?" Koushiro asked with his black eyes thoughtful. Melina stared at him.

"You're the weirdest human in the world...and she never told us...but I think it has to do with her parents being murdered..." Melina answered amazed.

"Shizuko, snap out of it!" Quimon yelled kicking her head.

"Stop it!" Iori shouted.

"Quimon knows what she's doing! She managed to get Shizuko out of it before." Yukina interjected.

"She's not tearing anything up now. She's staying in one place and Iori is still intact." Koushiro pointed out.

"That is strange."

"She's biting my shoulder." Iori admitted gritting his teeth.

"Oh... she's going to tear something..."

"I know...I'm already bleeding..." Iori said closing his eyes. "Forgive me, Shizuko." He raised his hand and hit her in the neck swiftly. She went slack and promptly fell asleep.

"Whoa, you know how to do that?" Miyako asked with awestruck eyes.

"My grandfather showed me."

"COOL!"

"Shut up, Miyako." Iori hissed.

"Oh, sorry."

"I'll have to observe her more carefully next time. Contact me if she has another 'fit', okay? Now I have to go to Motoko and wake her up." The screen blacked out and the teens stared at it.

"Did he just say what I thought he did?" Melina finally asked in a strangled voice.

"Did you hear him say 'wake her up'?" Yukina questioned.

"Yes."

"Then, yes, we both heard right." They looked at each other and jumped on each laughing and crying. Miyako joined in as they opened up their arms for her too. Their digimon opened groggy eyes, and then fell back asleep, not caring what the heck they were doing.

Iori held Shizuko in his lap, falling asleep against the wall of the cavern. Tsubaki spoke quietly to Taichi about the battle as he watched with warm honey brown eyes that made her blush under their scrutiny as she bandaged the bedraggled Pawmon and Baublemon.

V V V


	8. Sound Wisdom

Chapter Eight

Sound Wisdom

Koushiro snuck into the hospital quietly crawling under the reception desk. He frowned when he found out the door was locked and the button to open it was behind the desk. He thought quickly and unlatched the safety pin keeping the handkerchief secure around his lunchbox inside his backpack. He worked the electronic lock open and sighed in exasperation at the uncomplicated mess of wire. The door swing silently open and he slipped in, replacing the plastic cover of the lock.

The nurse at the desk jerked up at the loud click as the door shut and she swung around.

"Huh? I need a new position...I'm hearing things I'm so bored." She complained staring at the closed door.

Koushiro held breath, flat against the wall. He looked slowly around the corner to see the woman hadn't gotten up to investigate. He let out a grateful rush of air. He looked at his watch.

11:17 p.m. flashed on his watch. He pulled off his backpack and reattached the safety pin to the handkerchief, making sure nothing spilled and then grasped the yellow laptop that held the key to Motoko's life.

He sped down the hall and decided to take the stairs, racing up to the second floor. He looked out the small window and then poked his head out the door. His breath caught when his saw the door near the end of the hall to his left. He gulped and ran for it ducking inside the cool dark room, locking the door behind him, to hear the beeping of the machine that held his love's life in their unfeeling grip. He ran to the screen that showed her brain's waves. He looked frantically for somewhere to plug in his computer and saw the phone. He threw the nightstand aside with a loud crash.

"Crap! Not one of my more intelligent ideas." He yanked the phone cord out of the wall, thrusting his computer's cord in its place. "Now, how am I going to connect my computer to her brain monitor?" he wondered aloud as he wiped his forehead.

He spun around as footsteps hurried down the hall. He grabbed a chair and hauled it under the doorknob and then pushed the nightstand in front of that.

"A link cable!" he cried out. He ran to monitor and found the right place to connect his cable but frowned seeing another wire in its place. He bit his lip in worry. "If my theory is a correct one, then she won't need whatever it is...and her condition is stable, so if it's connected to something vital, she'll be able to hold on by herself for approximately thirteen seconds...should I chance it?" The rattling chair and shouts on the other side of the door made up his mind for him. In record time he had his computer linked up and ready to connect, his hand on the wire. He closed his eyes and pulled, hurriedly shoved the plastic head of the wire in the jack and typed furiously.

"Come on...come on." Koushiro whispered, sweat shining in the glare of the display. _Work damn you..._

**Where am I? Why is it so cold? Am I dead? I'm so lonely. **

**Whore, whore...**

**Why won't the voices stop? Leave me be!** The voices faded but continued to echo throughout the darkness. Faces floated around, blurred and unrecognizable.** Love doesn't exist...love is just a word to you... a rough time sleeping. He said you were having bad dreams, memories. Why don't you talk to me about them?**

**Koushiro? Kou-kun? Where are you?** Inside the darkness, she ran, reaching for the blurred figure wearing a yellow t-shirt and brown pants. Red hair flared brightly in the darkness but she couldn't see his face. And no matter how fast she ran, he wasn't getting any nearer. Suddenly two tall black figures grabbed her arms and dragged her even further away. **-said you were having bad dreams, memories. Why don't you talk to me about them?**

**Yes, don't let them take me away! Help me!**

**Okay... **

**No, no, stop, don't listen to me! I was lying! I lied the whole time! I'm in pain and I'm scared! No let me go! KOUSHIRO SAVE ME, PLEASE!** Suddenly the blackness exploded. Bright blue light blinded her. Her body that she created in her head disappeared as she began to wake up, the light coming from behind her eyelids. In the blazing blue-white, she saw 0's and 1's. **Binary code, what's that doing in my head?**

"Koushiwo? Kou?"

"Motoko? You're awake?"

"Kou? 'S so bite...where? Kou?" a hand grasped hers and she clutched at it, opening her eyes but seeing only the blue-white light.

"I'm right here, Motoko."

"Pomise oo won lee meh? Tha oo'll say meh fom th buh-black?"

"Yeah...I promise." Koushiro watched as her eyes opened, reflecting the data he'd sent through her body, killing the computer virus in her nervous system. It started to fade and her scared green eyes slowly started coming into focus. She turned her head and blinked, still blinded and seeing spots. She moved her mouth and frowned when nothing came out. She jerkily shook her head and tried again.

"Kou? Ah luh oo." She struggled. He blinked as she stiffly shook her head again. "Ah lo-ove you." She managed to spit out. She opened her mouth again frustrated, her eyes started to shine with fear.

"I get it, Motoko." Koushiro assured her placing a hand over her mouth. "You've been in a coma for three days." Motoko's eyes began to flood. Her eyes darted to the door as her hearing finally reaching beyond her immediate area. He jerked around to see the door open slightly and voices yelling.

"Sorry, doctor! Subaru-san has regained consciousness!" Koushiro cried out happily pulling the nightstand away.

The chair crashed to the floor and three men and one woman fell in a huddle on the floor. A strange sound was heard from the bed and they turned to see a tearful Motoko grinning and trying to laugh. She stopped abruptly hearing the strangled sound and touched her throat with stiff fingers. Tears poured from her eyes and more strangled sounds were heard and she covered her mouth to stop it.

"Motoko! No, don't cry. I promise you'll be just as you were before the accident." Motoko shook her head. "Yes, you will." She shook her head more.

"No act see den." She choked through her tears.

"Leave the room now, we have to do tests, young man." Said a doctor finally snapping to attention. Motoko let out a loud croak and more tears fell. She grabbed Koushiro's sleeves and held on, shaking her head.

"He has to leave. You have to be calm and steady." Said the other male doctor. The third man slunk out the room, returning to waxing the floor.

"Her symbols are strong but erratic. We have to stabilize her." Said the female anxiously.

"Motoko, calm down. I have to leave, the doctors are going to help." Koushiro murmured into her dark hair. She didn't smell the best seeing how she hadn't been clean in three days, but he didn't care. She sobbed into his chest, refusing to let go. She started to relax as they put a dose of sedative in her IV. "By the way, Moto, I love you too." She smiled as the woman doctor, Dr. Tsubasa, gently pried her away from Koushiro and laid her on the bed. Dr. Edogawa led him to the door and shut it behind him to return to help Dr. Kido and Dr. Tsubasa. He sat on the floor against the wall facing the door.

"I'm not going to fall asleep." He muttered.

Inside the room Motoko watching with bleary and half-blind eyes as the doctors checked her status and various other things that she couldn't even figure out in her muggy mind. Her eyes felt dry and hot from crying and she wanted Koushiro back. She fought sleep knowing it would bring the 'black'. The doctors encouraged her will to stay awake, they knowing she would most likely slip back into the coma.

Koushiro had already fallen asleep.

V V V

"Mm. Hmm. I'm sleepy." Melina stretched rubbing her eyes.

"How can you can you be so awake, Yukina?" Miyako asked, yawning.

"Internal clock. But look. Kodak moment." Yukina pointed. They turned to see Shizuko sleeping on Iori's thighs. Somehow during the night, Iori had fallen to his side and his head was now resting on her hip, one arm slung around her waist.

"Oh, I wish Kari were here." Miyako moaned. "That camera is sewn onto her." A flash and snap echoed through the room and they jumped.

"I'm a picture freak. I promised my family in Hawaii that I would get as many pictures as I could to send back to them, so I always have one on my person." Melina explained with a sleepy wink. Tsubaki stirred and rose.

"Oh, Tsubaki! Look!" Miyako said cheerfully. She turned and blinked.

"The flash was Melina's camera." She stated raising her head. Miyako blinked.

"OOH! You have funny eyes! Like me! See, mine are yellow! Yours are so cool. I'd rather have red than yellow. Everyone thinks I have hepatitis." Miyako cried out, crawling across the floor in record time.

"Huh?" Iori murmured.

"Oh, you woke them up!" Melina whined.

"Oops."

"Who has hippopotamus?" Shizuko gurgled before flipped over.

The girls choked. Iori woke up groggily and realized something was lying on his legs and breathing...in a place he didn't think was a good idea to breathe on. He yelled out and flew backwards, blushing furiously. Shizuko eyes fluttered open and she blinked perplexed.

"A zipper?" she wondered aloud. Iori found it very hard to breathe. "OH MY GOD! A ZIPPER!" she shrieked flinging herself away. "THE HELL? WHAT WAS I DOING THERE?" she cried out blushing and pointing. She immediately snatched her hand away. Iori got up and ran out the door. Shizuko turned to see three girls falling in a huddle laughing their asses off. Even Tsubaki was suppressing giggles.

"You fell asleep on his lap last night. He must've fallen to his side and you guys ended up in that position. Then you flipped over just a second ago and then you woke up. Well, after Iori did." Miyako managed to gasp out in between crows of laughter.

"You mean he woke up first? When I was facing his...zipper?"

"Yup." More guffaws.

"Oh shit..." she moaned. "What was I doing in his lap in the first place?"

"You went into one of your 'rages' while I was holding you. I knocked you out because you almost bit off a chunk of my shoulder." Iori explained.

"Oh, we never did look at it. I hope it didn't get infected." Miyako stopped laughing immediately running over to her friend. She grabbed his shirt and tried to pull it off.

"Stop it, Miyako!" she managed to open it on the front and slid off the sleeves ignoring him.

"Oh, you poor baby!" Miyako blubbered. "Sit down. I'll go get my first aidkit. I took it out of my pocket so I wouldn't sleep on it." Iori sat down crossed legged, his face burning and his eyes closed.

BEEP! BEEP!

"Huh? Ken? I'm sorry. I'm busy. I have to bandage up Iori. He got a really bad...boo-boo." She almost said 'bite', "Hey, Melina, why don't you talk to him for me? Melina?" Miyako asked turning around. She blinked seeing all the girls ogling Iori.

"What are they looking at?" Ken asked quizzically.

"YOU PERVERTS! STOP OGLING IORI!" Miyako yelled punching the drooling Melina on the head.

"What? We didn't know that he hid a bod like that!" Melina whined tearfully. "Even Tsubaki's staring." Hearing her name, Tsubaki immediately looked away to tend to the waking digimon besides her.

"At least she isn't drooling!" Shizuko yelled.

"You were ready to eat him!" Melina yelled back.

"How about we just drop this? Iori is going to burst into flame." Yukina suggested.

"YOU WERE STARING AT HIM TOO, WEREN'T YOU?"

"You don't own him, Shizuko!" Miyako boomed.

"And neither do you!"

"HA! I went on a date with him! So I own him more than you!" Miyako stuck out her tongue.

"Um, Miyako, you're dating me now."

"Oh, right...oops?"

"What do you mean 'oops'?"

"How about I go make Iori all better and you bond with these perverts-"

"We are not perverts!"

"-and then we'll talk, okay?"

"I'll do it for you." Shizuko said sweetly.

"What? No way! I've seen Iori in his boxers before, I'm used to it. You, however, are not used to it."

"I am not an it. And I don't see why I can't do it myself. And you saw me in my boxers when we were kids."

"Nope, remember? I walked in on your coming out of the shower about a month ago." Miyako reminded him. "Plus, you can't treat the wound properly where it is."

"I'm sure I can."

"YOU DID WHAT?" Ken squawked.

"Huh? What?" Miyako asked.

"You walked in on him?" came Shizuko's terse voice.

"When?"

"WHEN HE WAS COMING OUT OF THE SHOWER!" Ken yelled.

"It was an accident, Ken! Miyako practically lives at my house, so she just walked on in while my grandpa was napping and my mom was out. I was in a towel!" Iori grimaced as he pulled his shoulder.

"Oh, Iori! Ken, shut up." Miyako ran over to Iori with a concerned smile. "You didn't tell me it was hurting! Of course, it is pretty bad. Hmm, I have to wash it first...I'm going to need some water."

"There's a small pool in the back of the cave." Yukina spoke up. "I explored a little after everybody fell asleep. Finmon is hanging out back there."

"Okay, I'll move you over there, hon." Miyako said helping him up.

"Lay off, Miyako! You have a boyfriend!" Shizuko snapped.

"So? Iori is my best friend! I have to help him. At least I didn't bite him! Plus, you aren't his girlfriend! You never asked him out, or vice versa." Miyako dragged Iori by his good arm

"Fine then! Iori will you be my boyfriend?"

"What?" Iori exploded. _My morning is going nuts!_

"Well?"

"Yes?"

"Okay, you can have him!" Miyako chirped handing him over to Shizuko.

"Thank you!" Shizuko led a baffled Iori to the pool.

"He isn't a toy to own and give away when ever you feel like it." Yukina said with a sweatdrop.

"I know, but he likes Shizuko. I'm pretty sure he didn't mind. Now, Ken, why did you email me so early? Shouldn't you be at school?" Miyako asked.

"That's right it's eight thirty." Melina said raised her wristwatch.

"It's Sunday. You've been gone for a week!"

"Oh my god! Iori!"

"Yeah?"

"The play! THE PLAY! Oh man... I'm Gwenhwyfar." Miyako moaned.

"I was supposed to help build Camelot! We're really short on hands too!" Iori moaned with Miyako putting his head in his hand of his uninjured arm.

"Maybe we can find the rest of the Crests before you guys are too late? When is opening night?" Yukina soothed sympathetically to Miyako.

"The end of this week."

"Oh, dear."

"Yeah."

"Hey, how about you and me go over your lines whenever we get the chance. I'm sure the actors can chip in more on the sets Iori. I will for one, and so will Takeru." Ken suggested helpfully.

"Great! Let's start now!" Miyako nodded emphatically.

V V V

"How are you feeling?" Koushiro asked gently, brushing hair from green eyes.

"Ok-kay." Motoko answered, still raspy. She tried smiling and managed a small one that really didn't express the light in her eyes.

"You shouldn't be talking. You must be exhausted from staying awake this long." Motoko nodded jerkily.

"Hey, Subaru-san." Whispered a voice at the door. Koushiro looked over his shoulder, Motoko's eyes already resting on the tall figure from her place on the hospital bed.

"Konnichiwa, Taichi." Koushiro smiled.

"You look much better now, Subaru-san. You're eyes definitely look better open than closed." Motoko blushed happily at Taichi's infectious grin.

"Y-oo er coot."

"Why thank you, ma'am. That was the high point of my day."

"Nah ma'am." Motoko frowned. "Moat o k-ko."

"Okay, Motoko-chan it is." Taichi agreed easily. "And as soon as it doesn't hurt to speak, you can call me Taichi. Here're some flowers. Tsubaki told me lilies of any kind are your favorites." Motoko managed a wide smile, stiffly reaching for them. She let her hands drop to let the petals fall on her face as she breathed deeply.

"Um...how is Tsubaki?" Koushiro broke in, a prick of jealousy in him.

"I'm sorry to say much more beautiful than the lady in the bed, of course." Taichi joked as Motoko tried to throw a flower at him before covering her mouth to giggle brokenly.

"Your giggle sounds much better than last night." Koushiro said as Taichi fell to floor with the flower he had caught up against his chest in mock death throes. Motoko nodded brightly before yawning, her eyes drifting close. "Wake up, Motoko! Don't go to sleep." Koushiro said shaking her lightly. Her eyes snapped open before sagging.

"Co-off-ff...coff...ee."

"No, the doctors say you can't."

"That bums, how long she have to stay awake?"

"Approximately fifteen hours, thirty one minutes and...six seconds." Koushiro said consulting his watch.

"Surprised you didn't give me nanoseconds." Taichi muttered wryly.

"Well, if you want it that precise than I'm going to have to-"

"No, that's okay. Don't break your back...er...brain...for igit me."

"No, awake, Motoko." Koushiro said with tickling her sides. She squirmed and woke up quickly, trying not to laugh.

"Hey when you'd find out she was ticklish...maybe I should ask how?" Taichi corrected himself with a suggestive grin.

"Shut up, Taichi!" Koushiro barked.

"Touchee. I guess you really did do something naughty. To an invalid, really, Koushiro." Taichi rebuked with a sad shake of his head.

"Yagami!"

"Oh crap!"

"Excuse me?" asked a quiet voice at the door.

The boys turned to see and elderly couple walk in the door.

"Konnichiwa, Kaname-sama." Koushiro greeted, bowing. "Taichi, this is Kaname, Souta and Kaname, Sae, they are Motoko's grandparents."

"He is the nice young man who's been visiting our dear, Motoko. It's about time she's had a boyfriend. She's never had a boyfriend before." Sae said with a smile. Motoko looked out the window, her fingers clenching the bouquet of tiger lilies.

"You're quiet the looker, aren't young man? Don't you give my baby girl trouble." Souta said slapping Taichi on the back.

"Um, sir? Koushiro is the boyfriend."

"Yes, yes, aren't you Koushiro?"

"No, I'm Yagami, Taichi. He's Izumi, Koushiro."

"Oh? You eh? You're a little shrimpy."

"Souta, dear! Now you stop that! I told you yesterday that Koushiro was red headed with black eyes. You did that to embarrass him!" Sae said swatting her hand. "Don't mind him. He's an old coot."

"Um, yes..." Koushiro said with blazing cheeks. He turned to check on Motoko to see her gazing at the tree outside the window.

"Well, he is pretty short. How old are you, my boy?"

"Eighteen."

"Eighteen! He's too old for Motoko. Plus, he's too short. I won't let her marry this one. Not while I live. She'll marry this one." Souta said swinging his arm around Taichi's shoulders. "Now, do you like my granddaughter?"

"What? I like her just fine, sir, but I'm going out with Tsubaki. Plus, I'm nineteen." Taichi sputtered.

"Gan-granp-pa, stop it. I love Kou."

"Hum, well, he'll have to do. My granddaughter's growing so fast. Think you can handle her?" Souta asked immediately letting go of Taichi and putting Koushiro in a half nelson.

"I don't think marriage is something we'll be considering anytime soon, Kaname-sama." Koushiro gasped out. Taichi couldn't tell if he was blushing or loosing breath.

"Well, she is only fifteen. But if you do anything, shall we say, irresponsible, with our Motoko, you better face the consequences." Souta joked. Koushiro choked, while Taichi snorted, quickly turned his laughter into hacking coughs.

"Now, Souta! Really! You're going to kill him! You stop that right now!" Sae ordered. Souta winked at Koushiro before ruffling his hair.

"I'm going to go get my lovely Motoko a balloon, she used to love balloons. You watch over her, hear?" Souta announced, walking out the room.

"That was hilarious!" Taichi burst out, laughing and holding his sides.

"Because it happened to me right?" Koushiro muttered, still vivid red.

"Oh, don't worry dear. He likes you. Even more than your tall friend here, I daresay. He loves teasing people he likes. You should see how ruffled up Tsubaki gets when Motoko drags her over." Sae assured him, opening her large purse. "Now, who wants chocolate?" Motoko immediately shot up, though still blushing.

"Me!"

"Oh, I don't now if I can."

"Yes. I wan natoral high."

"Natural, but I don't know if I can without the doctors consent."

"I guess I came just in time." Dr. Yamamoto said slipping the door.

"Natoral high." Motoko insisted with a fierce frown.

"We should go, now? Right?" Taichi interrupted.

"Yes, it's time for her check up. I'll need the grandparents back at the least, to make sure she stays awake. I don't want to keep you boys from college."

"I don't think you can keep Koushiro in college right about now." Taichi joked, pushing a protesting Koushiro out.

"Come back soon." Motoko called out her voice catching in slight pain.

V V V

"WOO HOO!" hooted Shizuko her fists waving in the air.

"That was beautiful!" Melina said wiping away tears that weren't there.

"Motoko was right. You do make a great Gwenhwyfar." Yukina complimented.

"I read somewhere that people can play parts that are their exact opposite the best. Like if there's a really mean guy in a play a nice guy could play him best. Since Gwenhwyfar is sweet, naïve, and beautiful...that must make Miyako the total opposite. How sad." Melina shook her head in mock sadness.

"Why you!" Miyako yelled hitting her on the head. "Of course, I don't really think I like Gwenhwyfar that much. She's so...icky. I mean, she is sweet, naïve, too naïve, and beautiful, but she's not really much else. She could make Arthur and Lancelet jump with a look. Poor Arthur was wrapped around her little finger even though she's in love with his best friend and half cousin! And he knows it. Hence Act three. I like Morgaine the best myself. I wish she and Arthur could've been together, he loved her so much more than Gwenhwyfar, and that's saying something."

"But they were brother and sister!" Shizuko said aghast.

"I know, but they were so much in love. They were reincarnated as brother and sister, but since the beginning of time, destined for one another." Miyako sighed.

"But Gwenhwyfar wasn't totally useless. She's a really important character! At least she isn't Arthur's half-sister." Yukina argued.

"Come on, she was scared of the damn sky." Shizuko said sarcastically.

"True..." the others said nodding.

"Well, I should get going. My mom told me I had to do the laundry today. The other Digidestined and I met up yesterday at four, decided we'd all meet at the park at four 'o' clock and email you all. Yamato has been in contact with Touji and says he needs to talk to us." Ken said reluctantly.

"He has? Why hasn't he been telling us that?" Shizuko asked grabbing the D3.

"Because he's been torn from keeping his word to Touji or telling us what's been going on. He went to see Motoko the other day and then brought it up to Touji. He didn't tell us what ensued, but what ever was said, it tipped the scales in Motoko's favor."

"It better have!" Yukina snapped.

"Angry Yukina...that's new." Melina muttered.

"I'm ignoring that."

"You need earplugs with all the ignoring you're doing." Melina said.

"I have to go."

"Right, see you, koi." Miyako blew him a kiss.

"See you later koi."

"How cute." Yukina sighed.

"I can't wait to see your children." Melina said offhandedly inspecting her toes.

"I'm ignoring that."

"Not you, too!" Melina bleated.

"I think we should get going too. We're not anymore safe in this cave then we were in the last one." Iori said suddenly, peeking out into the sunlight.

"Which, I will remind you, is now collapsed." Miyako said cheerily. Iori came back inside wiping away the tears streaming down his face from the sudden and bright daylight.

"Ah, but it's so nice and cool!" Upamon said miserably.

"And it has water." Finmon said perkily, a splash echoing in the dim cave to emphasize her point.

"But Iori is right, Touji will find us sooner or later." Yukina scooped up her forlorn digimon.

"It's damp in here too. I don't want Tsubaki getting sick." Iori said worriedly eyeing their small friend as she sneezed. She looked up, bolder now with showing her face. "Don't even try and say you're fine. You're shivering." Iori said wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I would give you a jacket, but all I've got on is a shirt."

"It's okay, we don't mind if you take it off." Melina said nonchalantly, her shoes and socks back on by now. "OW!" Shizuko stood behind her with a smoking fist. "It was a joke."

"That's okay, Miss Hopkins. I think I've had enough stares and fights for one day." The girls blushed and looked away embarrassed.

They all managed to get out unto the narrow path and stood blinking in the brilliant sun.

"It's beautiful." Miyako said with a dazzled smile.

"Look, the clouds are still purple, even though the wind has stopped." Yukina pointed.

"Pretty." Shizuko commented before walking up the path. "We lost a few hours in the blizzard yesterday. Let's eat some rock." Shizuko called out behind her.

V V V

"That's awful!" Motoko cried out, disgusted.

"Honey, you have to eat it." Sae smiled, "But you're right, it is." Their ears picked up two male voices coming down the hall.

"Now, my boy, that's no way to act around me. I'm nice fellow."

"I realize that, Kaname-sama, but whenever I'm within your proximity, you half strangle me."

"Eh?" Souta scratched his head. "What's with the big words?"

"Koushiro!" Motoko called out happily. Koushiro quickly entered the door, his hair ruffled from Souta's fist. "I'm sorry, my grandfather is rather...touchy-feely."

"I found where you get those certain genes." Koushiro grumbled trying to unwrinkled his button-down shirt.

Motoko giggled. And he looked up surprised.

"You sound normal." He gaped.

"I know, shocking isn't?"

"I better make sure Souta is alright. When he gets confused he loses focus, poor fool." Sae sighed standing up. She bent and gave Motoko a kiss on the cheek. "Be back later honey. I need something to eat, too."

"Oh, I'm sorry, grandma, I forgot!"

"Oh, don't worry. I'd forget about eating when faced with that tray too." Sae left chuckling.

"That's awfully convenient." Koushiro muttered suspicious, before digging in his backpack.

"You shouldn't complain. At least my grandpa won't harass you about getting his precious Motoko in a sticky wicket." Motoko joked, eyes laughing. Koushiro coughed, blushing, before pulling out a lunchbox.

"I thought you'd like something with more taste." Koushiro said dropping his bag to the floor and sitting on the side of the bed.

"Yeah! Yummers food!"

"Yummers? By the way, sticky wicket?"

"Yummers is a word I made up. Sticky wicket, well, Melina _is_ English." She tried valiantly not to drool as he opened up the handkerchief and unstacked the boxes. "Who cooked this?"

"My mom. I have tea too."

"Yummers!" She grabbed a pair of chopsticks as he bent down to retrieve his Thermos and shoved in a mouthful of food before he had even straightened. When he turned, spinning off the cap, he blinked seeing her mouth bulging. "Yummers?" she offered, gulping.

"Of course, would you like to taste the food next time?" he questioned raising an eyebrow.

"It depends."

"On what?"

"How long that takes."

Koushiro laughed, setting aside his Thermos so he wouldn't spill it. He touched her cheek and then kissed her mouth before she could blink, her mouth full of rice. When he broke away she swallowed.

"Um, next time warn me. I almost choked." She mumbled confused.

"I couldn't help it. I've been waiting forever to do that."

"When I don't have food in my mouth, I'll make it worth your while." Motoko said before shoveling into the food once more. Koushiro blazed red, as what she said dawned on him. "There's not going to be much left." Motoko warned. Koushiro shook his head and then grabbed his own chopsticks and started a battle over a piece of beef.

By the time the two had finished lunch, they were both smeared with soy sauce, for Motoko she also had a lipstick mark on her cheek from her grandmother's kiss. And a large dark spot from the spilled tea was spreading over the bed cover.

"That was so your fault."

"No, it wasn't! I wasn't the one who jumped up and down for joy when she saw the dessert." Koushiro yelped his loose jeans slightly wet too.

"You should've warned me, and not tried to take my chocolate. At least you can jump up out of the bed. I have to stay here because my gown is too revealing!" Motoko pouted angrily trying to wipe up the mess with a napkin.

Koushiro felt something come over him, like what had happened before when he kissed her. He grabbed her hand and she looked up, meeting his black eyes, playfully irritated. Suddenly, their lips seared in a kiss, that left them breathless and unable to think of how they got there, hell, they couldn't think at all. Oblivious to the wet sheets, Koushiro sunk back down to the bed and twisted his fingers through her hair.

"Kou..." Motoko whispered when they separated to breathe. Her eyes opened slightly and then widened in surprise.

"Wha?"

"We have on lookers."

"What?" He turned to see all the Digidestined and Motoko's grandparents staring at them. He jumped and fell off the bed, turning a brilliant red and hitting the nightstand.

"Hoyo!" Motoko said happily waving. "I'm Subaru, Motoko! How's yas doing?"

"You guys! Why didn't you say anything? Or knock?" Koushiro yelled heatedly. They pointed at Sae and Souta with wide shocked eyes.

"Some how, I thought so." Motoko sighed. "And I was just having fun."

"I can't believe it. Our little Koushiro was French-kissing a pretty girl." Mimi finally said.

"Is it that implausible?" Koushiro asked hurt getting up and rubbing his head.

"Nah, just surprising. Most of us thought you were asexual." Jyou said with chuckle.

"I take umbrage to that."

"What?" asked Taichi with a tilted head.

"Offense." Jyou supplied automatically. "Why don't we go and let Motoko rest?"

"I can't. I'll go into a coma." Motoko said easily, swinging her legs over the bed, "My bed's wet anyway. But I would like to use the restroom, but I can't with company. My butt will show when I get up. I need some clean sheets too. Why are you here?"

"We came for Koushiro. We have a meeting at the park. We thought Koushiro would forget in the company of such a lovely lady." Taichi said kissing her hand.

"You're a flirt." Motoko giggled.

"And so are you, from what I've heard."

"Damn proud of it." She said with a nod.

"Let's get going." Sora said clearing her throat. Taichi flinched expectantly.

"What? No pain?" he asked surprised.

"Not this time. But we're going to be late. Yamato's probably already there."

"Of course, don't want to keep your boyfriend waiting." Taichi teased with a fake breathless voice.

"SHOVE IT, YAGAMI!" Taichi was then flying through the open door.

"Ow..." Motoko giggled. "What park?" She asked curiously.

"No."

"What, Kou?" she asked innocently.

"You aren't coming. You aren't ready to walk as far as Sakura Park."

"You realize you just told me where you're going."

"Yes, damn it." Koushiro cursed.

"Don't worry, we'll watch her." Souta said amiably.

"Oh, that's not fair. My own family is against me." Motoko pouted. Koushiro quickly looked away, not needing the feelings that came from watching her.

"Let's go." Koushiro said quickly walking out the door to check out Taichi.

"That's mean, I don't even get a good-bye kiss." Motoko said with another pout.

"That's too dangerous for Koushiro, it seems. Did you see him run?" Mimi giggled. Motoko giggled too. "See you Motoko."

"Sooner than you think." Motoko sang happily waving to her fellow Digidestined. She hopped up and walked backwards to the adjoining bathroom that came with the private room.

"Hey, Koushiro, why are your pants wet?" she heard Taichi ask.

"You're not thinking of escape are you, dear?" Sae asked companionably pulling the sheets off herself.

"Um, yes?"

"I suggest you don't, you can barely walk straight to the bathroom." Souta said, picking up the tray with the uneaten food on it. "We'll be getting this the housekeeping. You take your time." The bathroom door shut with a snap, a muffled 'thank you' on the other side.

Motoko poked her head out the door and looked around with quick eyes. She then looked under the bed and saw only the bedpan. She huffed making her cheekbone length bangs fly in the air. She then scrambled across the bed awkwardly and opened the nightstand and then the cabinet beneath the drawer.

"HOYO!" she cried happily. Inside was a knapsack of clothes.

She crept back into the bathroom and dressed stiffly, forgetting how to button her pants. She puffed out one cheek and made her fingers work right. And then found her toothbrush. By the time she sat on the edge of the toilet, her hands and arms were slightly trembling in exhaustion.

"This is really sad!" she exclaimed, frustrated with trying to tie her shoes.

She pulled the laces taut and tucking them in the shoes and then crept back out the door. She ran to the door, breathing deeply as she opened the door slowly. She stuck out her head and ran for the stairs. She slipped inside the corridor and slid down the banister slowly, not willing to climb down the stairs. She landed with a jerk and stumbled into the wall. She then turned and slid down the second banister that would take her to the first floor landing. She pushed open the door and walked towards the cafeteria to slip out the back.

She placed one foot in front of the other, finally out on the sidewalk, the sunlight on her back. She smiled at the sounds of traffic and people, something she'd been missing in the digital world. She stopped to hug a stunted tree growing on the sidewalk. People looked at her funny, but she shrugged them off, catching her breath. She stumbled down the sidewalk, her body beginning to shake in exhaustion. She misplaced a foot and went straight to the ground, she was too slow in her movements to throw out her hands, but, luckily, she landed on her side. She grimaced and got back up; hearing the bonging of the large clock on a tower that announced four 'o' clock had come.

"Sakura Park. Thank you!" she whispered tears in her eyes in happiness. She winced at the pain in her shoulder and elbow, her elbow lightly bleeding. She panted, clutching the large tree just inside the brick wall that surrounded the park. She straightened and walked stiffly down the park path, her footing still unsure, especially on the gravel walk.

"Hey, Takeru, Kari! Took you long enough! I though you just went to get some sodas?" Taichi called out waving.

"We did! We had to get ten of them! And we had to remember who got what! Geez!" Kari snapped at her older brother. She lobbed the cola at him, "Jerk."

"Great! Now I have to wait for my soda to settle down because you threw it." Taichi whined. The others laughed happily and Motoko slipped up behind Koushiro.

"Whatcha get?" Motoko asked smiling happily, refusing to show how she trembled with fatigue. Koushiro jumped and then choked on his canned tea. She grinned at everybody's dumbfounded expressions.

"Motoko?" Taichi finally gasped.

"Nope, her evil twin. When are you going to email the others? I miss Iori! He's adorable! He better be going out with my Shizuko." She said tilting her head to side, her grin still in place.

"How did-" Koushiro asked in a strangled voice.

"I walked, silly. You don't sound so good, love. Did your drink go down the wrong way?" Motoko asked, concerned.

"You should sit down."

"Okay." She plopped down on a bench, hiding her relief to be off wobbly legs. "Hoyo? Why you all staring at me? Is there something on my face?"

"Toothpaste, but that's not the point." Koushiro growled.

"Well, what are you doing? Email away." Motoko said. Koushiro frowned angrily and sat down next to her. Everybody else immediately popped open Koushiro's Pineapple laptop to email the others and block out the couple's discussion. .

V V V

On Koushiro's screen five squares opened up showing a face in each. Jyou propped open his own laptop to see Yukina pop up.

"Hi, koi!" Miyako greeted gaily. "What's up? You seem preoccupied."

"Motoko just arrived here. Somehow she got out of the hospital."

"OH MY GOD!" Shizuko, Melina, and Yukina cried out. "I WANT TO TALK TO HER!"

"Don't you want to talk to me?" Daisuke asked heartbroken, his puppy dog look back. Melina bit her lip.

"Damn, not the puppy dog look!" Melina cursed.

"HOYO!" came Motoko's voice out of sight. "You all talk to these guys, I'll visit later. Koushiro is reprimanding me for ditching the hospital and my backless tea-wet gown. Thanks to him trying to steal my candy."

"That wasn't my fault. Wait, shut up! You did that on purpose. You are not distracting me, Subaru." Koushiro shouted pissed beyond reason.

"How about we move a couple miles away?" Sora suggested wisely. They all agreed and moved away to hear what Yamato had to say.

V V V

"Yamato? What's been going on?" Taichi asked sitting cross-legged on the grass a few feet from Motoko and Koushiro. He grinned to himself seeing that Koushiro had stopped raging and opted for making out.

"Well, it's about what I've managed to glean from Touji. After the incident at the river, I tried to get Touji to tell me what happen between them. He wouldn't tell me, but I knew he was hiding something...he acts kind of like I did when I was angry with everybody when I was a kid. Only, I think he takes his anger too far.

"He told me that there's this huge void in his head whenever he thinks about what happened between him and Motoko, and what happened at the river. Whenever I ask him about the tarantula battle and the day you guys fought the monster or even when he fought you all yesterday, he only sees fuzzy pictures, he doesn't remember anything at all. One time he said that the only thing he remembers is this voice in his head, laughing. The voice has been there ever since he came to the digital world..."

"And met Circusmon." Iori finished at Yamato's hesitation.

"Exactly what I thought. I got a good look at his digimon, but my neither computer nor digivice could identify it. I don't know what its Mega evolution, but I have a suspicion. Here, take a good look at it, guys." Yamato said, his eyebrows snapped together as he pulled a paper out of his back pocket.

"Oh my god..." Mimi whispered her face blanching to match the pale faces around her. "Oh no, no not him..."

"What's going on?" Daisuke asked, confused.

"Piedmon." Jyou said shakily, taking off his glasses and wiping them.

"You mean the Dark Master from when you guys all met?" Ken asked quickly.

"Yes, him." Yamato said darkly. Mimi shuddered violently and Sora wrapped her arms around her waist. Mimi hid her face in Sora's hair, scared.

"It's okay Mimi, we could be wrong." Sora murmured softly. Mimi shook her head.

"No, we're not." Takeru voiced Mimi's negative shaking head.

"I'd know those eyes anywhere." Kari said, her voice hiding the fear running through her. Takeru held her hand, silently exchanging love and strength with just a look between them. She smiled, and straightened with resolve.

"This must be the reason you need to find your crests." Koushiro said looking over Mimi and Sora's heads at the screen. Motoko crawled into the circle with a frown. Everybody jumped and stared at the noticeably mussed couple.

"You think, love? But Circusmon has always been lovable. When Touji...never mind..." Motoko cut herself off, "Just, Touji has always been more violent than Circusmon."

"Subaru-san...what were you about to say?" Sora asked gently.

"What?" Motoko queried, her face was bright with a wide smile, but her eyes hadn't the usual sparkle.

"Motoko, stop dodging our questions!" Shizuko yelled pissed.

"When you didn't finish your sentence about Touji...what do you mean Touji has always been more violent?" Yukina asked from Jyou's personal laptop. Motoko stood up so all her friend could see were her toes.

"I'm thirsty. You guys continue. I'll go get something." She quickly walked away. Koushiro frowned and followed her without a word. Koushiro grabbed her arm.

"What are you keeping from m-us?"

"Nothing! Let me go, Koushiro!" She pulled away her arm and broke out into a run.

"Motoko!" Koushiro shouted following her in a slower jog. They left sight.

"What's wrong with her? I thought she and Koushiro were really close?" Mimi asked.

"Motoko loves Koushiro. Something is just keeping her from giving herself over completely, and whatever it is, it might explain things." Tsubaki said. Everyone looked at her and nodded.

"She's probably right." Yamato said. "Touji said his blankness starting around the time he and Motoko started going out."

"Touji and Motoko started going out just after we left the digital world." Shizuko remembered suddenly.

"That's right. Pawmon started acting sulky around then, didn't you, Pawmon?" Yukina turned to the cat-digimon.

"Yes. I knew something was wrong because Touji never liked her, he loved Shizuko the whole time, and was confused when ever he woke up."

"Woke up? But you never lived with Touji, how would you...oh my god..." Melina trailed off her eyes growing wide.

"We're jumping to conclusions." Iori said swiftly as the others slowly realized what had dawned on Melina.

Motoko panted hard. Leaning on the brick wall on the outside of the park. She heard footsteps and her eyes darted around and saw a bus slowing down just a couple feet to her right. She flung herself away from the wall and ran clumsily towards the bus stop. She tripped and fell towards the ground and she knew this time she wouldn't land on her side.

"Motoko!" she heard Koushiro yell from far away, just as arms grabbed her.

She looked up into confused blue eyes.

"Help...have to get to hospital...don't let me fall asleep." She murmured, her eyes closing.

"Oh my! Rei, help me!" cried out the woman holding Motoko. The other woman next to her quickly helped her drag her unto the bus.

"She fainted." The brown-eyed Rei said, setting her onto the seat.

Koushiro turned the corner, breathing hard. _Who knew an almost invalid could run so fast?_ He thought searching the sidewalk. He froze seeing her face in the window of the bus starting to enter traffic.

"Wait, stop!" he yelled, running towards the stop. The bus had already left and leaving Koushiro panting on the sidewalk. "Motoko...why won't you tell me what happened?" he asked sadly, picturing her face against the window.

"Where's Motoko?" Shizuko demanded seeing Koushiro drop onto the grass a few minutes later.

"She managed to get onto a bus before I caught her." Koushiro panted.

"She just woke up from a coma and she out ran you!" Melina screamed pissed. Daisuke flinched.

"Ow, that was right in my ear." Daisuke complained rubbing his throbbing ear.

"Who cares? Motoko's on a bus to who knows where even though she should still be in bed! And your loser friend couldn't even catch her!" Melina's face slowly turned red.

"Koushiro is not a loser friend! She was probably boosted by adrenaline. People can lift cars with adrenaline rushes." Sora replied biting back anger.

"Whatever." Melina shrugged, her eyes downcast and ashamed.

"I should've run after her. I didn't think she'd actually run away from me like she did. If I had started out running I could've stopped her." Koushiro muttered angrily, his breathing now under control.

"No, it's not your fault. Motoko ran, you didn't know, stop beating yourself up." Taichi said, a hand on his back.

"She probably went back to the hospital. From what I gathered, she's pretty smart, if head-strong." Kari piped up, her instincts kicking in at Koushiro's pained expression.

"It isn't worth it."

"What?" Mimi said straightening.

"It's illogical of me to be so caught up on a, as Kari eloquently put it, head-strong fifteen-year-old. I should be making up my late work. Excuse, but I have a lot of papers to write. Sayonara." Koushiro stood and bowed briskly, and walked out the park, the opposite way of the bus stop.

"Please don't tell me that what Koushiro said is what I'm thinking he said." Mimi said, her eyes growing bright.

"If you think Koushiro gave up on Motoko, then you heard right." Yamato said sadly.

"But...Koushiro loved her." Yukina said her hand over her mouth.

"He can't just give up like that." Shizuko said angrily.

"He can, and he did. Why should he keep on trying if she doesn't try in return? As my mom says, 'it takes two to be in love; one to love and trust and the second to love and trust back.'" Iori quoted solemnly.

"It's just so...tragic." Miyako sniffed.

"It's like a romance novel." Mimi agreed, tears in her eyes.

"Iori is right, though. Motoko is lying to all of us, and to Koushiro, who rarely shows his emotions at all, having her keep secrets from him must hurt when he showed her so much." Sora sighed. The Digidestined of Odaiba on the other side of the screen nodded in agreement.

"Maybe there'll be a happy ending just like a story?" Mimi suggested tearfully.

"Not all story's have happy endings, Mimi." Sora whispered.

"Maybe we should end this conversation and we track down Touji?" Iori broke in suddenly to break the weighty silence.

"Yeah." Taichi breathed, a weight on his own chest. Looking around, he saw that most of the others had the same pensive, sad face that betrayed their own weighted hearts. "Good bye, Tsubaki, see you tomorrow. I have a ton of homework."

"Bye, Taichi." Tsubaki said sadly, hugging Baublemon. He watched the square go black.

"See ya later, Melina, look out for an email." Daisuke said with forced cheerfulness.

"Same to you, goggle-boy." She closed her D3, for some reason scared she may never see him again, stroking Lizmon's ridged head.

"Hang tight, Shizuko. I'm sure everything will work out. At least you and Iori are working out, and I don't see unsolvable problems for you in the future." Sora said with a smiled.

Shizuko blushed, her fingers splayed on Quimon's head, the blades in between her fingers. "How do you know?"

"Because I'm the Crest of Love, of course!" Sora reminded her with a wagging finger.

"Can you see Motoko and Koushiro's future?" Shizuko whispered.

"I'll just jinx them if I voice optimism." Sora joked, though her smile didn't seem very smiley anymore. They sighed and Shizuko shut off her D3.

"Watch your step, Iori, or this Touji guy will a pull a rug under you." Takeru advised.

"I'll be watching my back instead." Iori answered with narrowed eyes.

"That's a good idea, too. Just don't like your anger get the best of you. You've always been the levelheaded, wise one of the group. Don't change now." Takeru warned. Iori nodded. And then closed his D3.

"Like Taichi I have a pile of homework to welcome me home to my apartment. I better get going too. See you, Yukina. Miss you."

"You haven't left yet."

"I'm thinking ahead."

"You goof." Yukina giggled. Jyou and Yukina counted to three and then shut their laptops together, rather than look at a depressing blank screen.

"We'll go over our lines more tomorrow, right?" Miyako asked, swiping at tears.

"Yeah. You sure you're okay?"

"Yes, koi, bye." Miyako nodded briskly, a bright smile breaking out.

"Bye, koi." She blew him a kiss and she shut her D3 off quickly.

Yamato shut off Koushiro's computer silently, the digidestined already dispersing in pairs or groups. Taichi stood waiting for Yamato to close the yellow computer. Yamato gazed after Sora who was rubbing Mimi's back as Jyou walked them both home.

"I guess it's me and you again, hey?" Yamato murmured. Taichi nodded and looked at the sky as they easily matched paces as they had done so long ago.

"Missed walking around without needed to say anything but completely at ease." Taichi admitted as they rounded the gate.

"Yeah, me too." Yamato confessed surprised.

"Ouch, I feel loved." Taichi joked in mock pain at Yamato's shock.

"I just was so caught up in classes and rehearsals I didn't even realize I missed hanging out with you like this."

"Maybe we should make a date sometime?"

"I don't flow that way man." Yamato said with an eyebrow raised.

"I didn't mean that way, you nincompoop!" Taichi laughed punching his shoulder.

"Oh course, you're much too manly for that." Yamato rubbed his shoulder where he'd been punched.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. I'm very much in touch with my feminine side. And right now my feminine side tells me you are sad."

"And my answer for your feminine side, 'no shit, Sherlock'."

"Touché."

"See ya, Tai." Yamato said, stopping at his turn.

"Yeah, see you, Matt." Tai waved, continuing on straight. Yamato smiled; strangely delighted knowing Tai remembered their nicknames from digidestined days.

V V V

"We should be getting out on the open road now, maybe we'll run into a new crest." Miyako said stretching. They looked towards their current direction and sighed sadly. They had hoped what they had seen before was just a mirage.

"I hope there's an oasis somewhere in there." Melina said darkly. The others nodded, staring at the unbroken expanse of sand and heat.

"Can we go back on the mountain? I'd take cold over heat any day." Shizuko grimaced at the thought of walking in the barren wasteland with no water in sight.

"If you don't recall, it snowed as soon as we stepped off the bloody path. So, which would you rather have, solid, safe ground in blistering heat, or unsafe, wet pebbled three inches of path up in the middle of the sky?" Melina snapped. Shizuko gulped.

"Heat." she squeaked.

"We've been through deserts before, they aren't that bad." Iori said trying to calm everybody down.

"Not bad? They were agony, Iori!" Miyako shrilled.

"But there's always a digimon town somewhere, sooner or later. They sooner we move, the closer we'll get to the other side. Plus, the more we stand here getting angry, the hotter we'll get." They nodded at Iori sound wisdom and resolutely set their jaws and walked into the giant sandbox.

"Tsubaki?" Yukina questioned worried, a few hours later.

They others turned to see Tsubaki lagged far behind, dragging her feet, holding her wiped out Baublemon for dear life.

"I'm sorry, Tsubaki. You're the smallest of all of us, and easiest to get sick if I guessed right from how you coughed back in the damp cave. I should've been watching you." Iori said angry with himself.

"I'm okay. Baublemon is the one who's tired." Tsubaki tried to assure them. She failed miserably when her voice came out raspy and hoarse. Iori handed the sweaty Upamon to Miyako and started undoing the buttons on the front of his shirt (The tan one he usually wears to the digital world, but Miyako is not wearing her old outfit, ew.). "Iori, you don't have to." Tsubaki tried to protest, just to break off coughing.

"It's little sweaty, but it'll keep the sun off you a little more." Iori wrapped the sleeves around her head, making a makeshift burnoose. He smiled comfortingly, and took Baublemon. "I'll carry Baublemon and Upamon."

"But you'll get sunburned." Shizuko pointed out, worrying her lip.

"It's six 'o' clock now. The sun will go down soon, so I won't be that bad."

"Well, I'll carry Upamon at least." Miyako said, with a smile. "You're way too sweet for your own good."

"Is that a compliment?" he asked.

"Um, half-n-half." Miyako giggled.

"Let's get going. The less Iori stays in the sun, the better." Yukina said briskly.

Iori grabbed Tsubaki's hand with a brotherly squeeze.

"Let's go, Onee-san."

"Yes, Nii-san." Tsubaki nodded, squeezing back. _A real brother, just for me, and only mine. I love you Iori-kun. Thank you_.

"Look! Trees!" Melina finally gasped out.

"Wait, it might be a mirage." Iori warned.

"Oh, please no...haven't we had enough torture?" Shizuko moaned.

"Oh, I don't think so myself. But don't worry, that is a real oasis. It once was the most sought out tourist attraction for digimon for its hot springs and cool, clean springs. Too bad the digimon are now all in cages." Shrill laughter followed this short speech and they looked up to see Touji standing on Trapezemon's feet once again.

"Why don't you talk by yourself, Piedmon? We already know your secret, did you honestly think you could keep it from us long?" Iori yelled, pulling Tsubaki behind him. She and Baublemon, and the rest of the digimon for that matter, were too worn out by the heat to protect themselves.

"Oh, tsk tsk. No fun!" Trapezemon pouted, with no sadness in his eyes. "I knew you'd find out sooner or later. I was hoping to have my secret for just a while more."

Touji stood there, his eyes dead, and his body lax as if he had been just a puppet. _He is a puppet._ Shizuko reminded herself angrily. _But if he is a puppet, that doesn't make him evil..._Shizuko realized with a slight gasp and wide eyes. She felt as if her heart had been punched an incredible blow.

"Why don't you tell us what happened to Motoko?" Melina voice cracked in a mixture of anger, pain, sadness and a parched throat.

"Oh, another dirty little secret of mine? Haven't you figured it out yet? How sad." Trapezemon cackled. "I really didn't need her after the first month, but I thought I'd have fun listening to her pitiful screams. Touji, my delightful pawn, had no idea, of course, why poor little Motoko was always crying and scared of him when he woke up. But after a while, she was got out of 'Touji's' control," he made quotations with his fingers at Touji's name, "I had to quit my fun little game or she'd find out my lovely little secret. So sad she didn't die. If that little show off computer geek hadn't hacked into my encrypted files, she would have, her dear memories would've killed her!" he cackled louder, sending hair on the back of the teens necks to rise.

"Why don't you tell us what you made Touji do?" Tsubaki asked.

"Well...I guess...no! HA, HA! Got you, freak."

"Shut up!" Iori yelled. His digivice glowed. "I'm sick of hearing you breathe!"

digivolving Upamon, digivolve to Armadillomon! Armadillomon digivolve to Ankylomon!

"Megaton Press!" Ankylomon shouted. His attack hit Trapezemon, but he didn't even flinch.

"Hmm, did you feel that breeze?" Trapezemon yawned. Iori gritted his teeth.

"Ankylomon, try harder! I know you can do it!" Iori yelled.

The teens watched in amazement as Ankylomon's attacks merely scraped past him. Soon, Ankylomon was panting, his already weakened state getting even weaker.

"Iori, Ankylomon is still tired from the heat. Keep this up and he'll pass out." Miyako tried to yell, her voice coming out whispery and dry.

"We all are tired! It's a miracle Armadillomon digivolved at all." Melina coughed hoarsely.

"Iori, you've never made your digimon fight when you know he was weak. What happen to the wisdom I know you have?" Miyako, touching her cheeks in surprise as hot salty drops fell from scratchy eyes. A loud crash made the dirt fly into the air.

Iori glanced at the girls and up at Touji, still floating in the air. His olive eyes widened at he sight of Ankylomon fighting desperately. He had been so blinded by rage he didn't even realize his partner was fighting a losing battle for his sake. He closed his eyes taking a breath. _What's happening to me? I've never lost control like this. I have to stop and calm down before Ankylomon gets hurt because of me! Everybody has said I've always been the levelheaded wise one f the group. I need to wise enough to know when I cannot fight, because I'm not the one fighting, Ankylomon is._

A sign on Iori's forehead began to glow. Sand whipped around the teens, and the girls threw their arms up to shield their faces, bending over their digimon. Iori stood as if in the eye of the storm, his eyes closed and the symbol glowing. The symbol disappeared to appear around his neck on a tag and crest. His digivice flashed brightly in his pocket.

Ankylomon digivolve to...

"Forgemon, the Miner of Wisdom!" Forgemon had a face like Ankylomon's, only black with gold eyes. He stood on powerful back legs, a meaty fist clutching a metal double-headed hammer. His shell was black, a gold spike sticking out of it, and a red belt was hanging off one shoulder. "Forge Bellows!" he grabbed a bellows form his belt and pumped it at Trapezemon, a scorching fire erupting into the air. "Desert Scorcher!" he slammed his large hammer towards the grounds, just barely stopping above the surface, but with enough force to send the blistering hot sand surging at Trapezemon's face.

"You little bastard! I'll be back!" Trapezemon splurted, his face shining with burns.

Armadillomon slumped to the ground, panting for air.

"Armadillomon! Why, why did you do it? You too weak to fight like that!" Iori cried, holding Armadillomon to his own sweaty skin. Armadillomon grinned weakly through pants.

"Because we're partners. I knew that you needed you bring him down, and I tried my best. It's what I'm supposed to do, and you're supposed to do the same for me." Armadillomon answered.

"Oh, Armadillomon." Iori sighed, his eyes hot with tears as he lowered his head in shame.

"I may love you Iori, but you're hot. Can you let me go, or get me to that water I'm smelling?" Armadillomon said, before digivolving to an unconscious Upamon.

"That's right, come on Iori!" Yukina said, smacking her fist to her palm.

"Let's go! Upamon needs it badly!" Shizuko croaked dryly, grabbing Iori's upper arm and racing towards the oasis.

v v v

"Oh, I feel so much better!" Finmon crowed happily before diving beneath the surface.

"It feels nice getting out of those sandy hot clothes!" Miyako agreed stretching.

"Are you alright over there?" Shizuko asked lazily, peering around a fallen palm tree that separated them from Iori.

"I'm fine." He muttered, blushing darkly.

"You're awful quiet." Miyako perked up leaning around Shizuko, her torso below the water, darkened by the night. Only the flickering fire on the shore gave them light, and the bright stars.

"I don't see why he's over there. It's not like he can see anything if we stay under water." Melina said nonchalantly.

"Melina!" Yukina snapped shocked, and blushing.

"It's...not...wise." Iori muttered lamely, blushing harder.

"Well, she is right. Plus, Trapezemon may attack him if he's alone, or maybe a stray digimon out for revenge against Iori." Yukina said, with a clenched hand over her chest.

"No...thank you." Iori mumbled. "I'll be alright, really." He choked as hands grabbed his arm.

"Come on, Iori! It'll be fun!" Iori looked up flabbergasted to see Miyako grinning brightly in the starlight, her purple hair sparkling silver.

"N-no, r-real-ly." He stuttered. Melina rushed forward and grabbed his wrist too.

"Come on! We'll play chicken!" Melina joked. Iori 'eep'ed.

"She's just joking. You just stay where we can hear you breathing and can at least see you above water, and we'll stay below it! Pinky swear!"

"Oh, leave him alone, you two!" Shizuko ordered brusquely.

"Oh, you're no fun! Even Tsubaki wanted him over here." Melina pouted. They turned to see Tsubaki nodding her head vigorously.

"I feel a little worried with him all by himself in the dark."

"Nah, you just want a naked hottie swimming around with us." Melina smirked. Tsubaki said nothing and turned to make sure Baublemon and Pawmon were okay. Yukina giggled.

"Well, Iori, how about it? Let's go skinny-dipping! We can check it off our too-do list. You said you wanted to skinny-dip." Miyako smiled.

"When I didn't know what it was and all the 'big' kids were talking about it! You said it was 'lots of fun'!" Iori snapped, grabbing onto the tree.

"It is fun! Live a little!"

"Come on, Iori! I'm over here! We can play coconut ball!" Upamon yelled happily.

"Coconut ball?"

"We just a toss a coconut back and forth and how ever drops it, has to streak!" Melina explained simply.

"I really don't think so!"

"Oh, come on Iori! I need a partner to catch the ball!" Upamon begged.

"...Oh alright." Iori consented, his shoulders drooping.

"Yeah!" Upamon splashed up and as Melina and Miyako gave each other a high-five.

"Well, are you just going to stand there, Iori? Let's play!" Shizuko said laughing, Quimon jumping on her head. Shizuko shrugged as if to say 'you can't beat 'em, join 'em'.

"You dropped it! Again! Geez, I think he does it on purpose!" Laughed Melina and Iori swam to the beach for the fourth time. They all looked away laughing.

Just as the sun rose over the horizon, they had finally gotten their clothes back on, though they and their clothes were still wet, and fell asleep, all curled around each other for warmth in the desert night cold. Tsubaki was back to back with Iori; Miyako had her head lying on Tsubaki's side, Pawmon, Poromon, and Baublemon cuddled around them. Melina was curled around Lizmon; Yukina sprawled out behind her, Finmon sleeping in the shallows of the oasis. Yukina's leg was propped up on Shizuko's hip, her hand tangled in the red hair that was fanning over one side of her face. Shizuko's nose was just barely touching Iori's, knees touching, their digimon cuddled above their heads. And lying between them, their hands were entwined tightly.

V V V


	9. Honesty Never Lies

Chapter Nine

Honesty Never Lies

Shizuko and Iori shaded their eyes as they looked up into the sunlight to see a shadowed figure standing over them.

"This is a Kodak moment, but sadly, we have to get moving." Melina grinned. A disposable camera was held in her hand explaining the loud click that had woken them.

"Wha? Mel? You took a picture?"

"Yup, of the two lovebirds. Come on, let's go." Melina extended her hand. Shizuko grabbed it, and then with a sleepy smirk, tugged hard, sending her face first into the ground right next to Shizuko.

"Just how many pictures have you been taking?" Shizuko asked, her eyebrow ticking.

"Um...not a lot?"

"Really?"

"Yes?"

"Why do I not believe you?"

"Because I love embarrassing you?"

"Where do I find these people?" Shizuko puffed exasperated, falling back to the ground.

"Do we have any canteens?" Yukina asked hopefully.

"No, but I wish we did." Iori yawned getting up, too tired to really comprehend what they had been saying.

They all looked up automatically and then squinted.

"You know what? Motoko is really getting to me. I could swear I'm seeing canteens falling." Melina muttered rubbing her eyes. A loud plop hit Melina in the head and she fell back with swirly eyes, as more canteens fell on her.

"Umm, you weren't seeing things, Mel." Yukina said with a large sweatdrop falling down the back of her head.

"NOW YOU TELL ME! When they've already fallen on my head!"

"When have wishes fallen from the sky?" Miyako asked curiously.

"Never...well, until now." Shizuko told her, grabbing one.

"I guess we should take advantage of them." Melina said grabbing another and rubbing her head.

"Koushiro might be...able...to..." Yukina trailed off awkwardly.

"I hope Motoko got to the hospital." Shizuko said walking to the water, uncomfortably.

"You think Koushiro meant what he said?" Yukina whispered, voicing their common thought.

"Yes." Tsubaki said, sadness heavy as gold in her tone.

"I've never seen him so in love. I hope Motoko will tell us what's going on." Miyako whispered, also walking to the oasis.

"I have faith in Miracles. And Miracles will all it take." Melina said suddenly, her eyes brightening.

"What?" Shizuko asked, feeling backward.

"Daisuke. He'll help." Melina said confidently.

"And so will Jyou!" Yukina agreed.

"I think they all will help Koushiro." Miyako said with a decisive nod.

"And Motoko. We may have met her only eight days ago, but she's still our friend and a Digidestined. Digidestined stick together." Iori declared lowly. The girls of Tokyo all smiled at him with eyes full of tears.

"Motoko's our mother and laughter. It feels weird trying to take her place. I couldn't be the selfless person she is." Melina admitted with her left hand fisted over her heart.

"She's always been my protector, since we were children in day-care. I want her to be really happy, not just a mask." Yukina proclaimed with a determined set of her jaw.

"Then let's get going! It's about time Koushiro loosened up and loved more than just his computer!" Miyako announced with her index finger pointing high in the sky.

"YEAH!" the group yelled throwing their index fingers in the air too. They laughed lowering their arms and clasping hands in the midst of their tight knit circle.

V V V

"Now, left. Good, now your right. No, no that's your left! Subaru-san!" exclaimed the nurse in worry.

Motoko clasped the rail on her left quickly, breathing hard and sweaty. Her legs were lax beneath her, and they twitched in weariness as she forced her self on her feet once more.

"Subaru-san, please, stop. You need rest. You've been at it since breakfast. I will also remind you that you ate breakfast at five thirty this morning." The nurse tried to reason.

"Yes, and I won't stop until I can walk normally on my own once again." Motoko gritted tossing her head to flick her wet hair out of her face.

"This is not helping your condition. You need to rest. Don't make me tranquilize you." The nurse warned.

"And put me in a third comatose state, Nurse Aoyama?" Motoko smiled too sweetly. Aoyama gulped and shook her head. "Good, now let me be."

"Motoko?" Motoko's head shot up with hope in her eyes. Her eyes immediately emptied when she saw Taichi. _You knew it wasn't him. You feel his presence before you even turn around even when you're in a coma, you ninny._ Motoko scolded herself, before setting her right foot firmly before her.

"Hai?" she asked indifferently, concentrating on her left foot.

"What are you doing?"

"Walking. Well, trying to."

"And scaring the sh-crap out of the staff." Taichi snapped, "You're also scaring your grandparents, and me. Stop it. Koushiro would not want you to be-"

"Shut up! Koushiro doesn't care anymore. He didn't even call to see if I made it. Not that I'm surprised. I finally love a guy for keeps, and he's over me first."

"You didn't give him much of a chance." Taichi sighed, rubbing his temples.

He had been here as soon as Koushiro called him saying, in a deadpan voice, that Motoko and relapsed into a second coma after losing consciousness when exerting herself running the other day. Mr. and Mrs. Kaname had called Koushiro thinking he would rush over as usual, but instead he called Taichi to go and comfort them, saying he no longer was a part of her life. Motoko luckily woke up at about midnight after falling into real sleep at around nine 'o' clock that same night. After she woke up however rested, she found she couldn't work her legs properly, and a nurse had to help her use the bedpan, thankfully, she retained her ability to speak. Taichi had called Koushiro, and sure enough the young genius had been unable to sleep at all, and was awake for the call. None-the-less, he still refused to visit or speak to her. To be exact, he refused to even say her name. Taichi then and there decided to watch over Motoko for his one of his best friends, knowing Koushiro needed it, even if he refused to acknowledge it.

"I know I'm a liar. I'm a selfish bitch and a boy-crazy whore. I know, but I can't change it, sorry." Motoko recited as if those words had been engrained in her mind. Taichi felt as if he'd bit punched really hard in the stomach and all the air left his lungs.

"Subaru-san, you shouldn't be-" the nurse started, Taichi cut her off with a curt slice of his hand.

"Motoko, whoever told you that had a messed up head. So you're boy-crazy, I haven't seen you falling in love with me since Koushiro dumped you, or Yamato or Daisuke, and we're all pretty damn good-looking if all those girls weren't lying to us all our lives." Taichi pointed out.

"And you're all pretty much attached, to my friends. Even Yamato, Sora's pretty nice." Motoko pointed out right back.

"Yeah, but you still haven't fallen for any other guy since Koushiro, if I'm not mistaken, you're still in love with him."

"And I'm only fifteen! He's in college, damn it! Ack!" she let out a small cry as her left foot turned to its side, tripping her. Her chin hit the floor with a thud, and her tongue was bit, and blood slipped past her bottom lip sluggishly. She groaned as Taichi rushed to her side.

"Subaru-san!"

"Motoko!" Taichi cried out. He pushed aside the nurse and grabbed her under her arms.

"Let me be!" Motoko screamed, blood spotting the floor.

"Motoko, stop it, you're just hurting yourself."

"I've been dying for years. Pain doesn't hurt anymore." Motoko whispered pushing herself up onto her palms. She grabbed the pool and then leaned her head against the cool metal. She turned her head slowly to meet Taichi's startled gold-brown eyes. "Are you surprised?" Motoko asked, her voice chirpy. But her eyes were dead, empty with a slowly torturing pain. Taichi felt as if he were drowning, he couldn't breathe; those eyes tore slits in his flesh.

"Motoko?" He whispered, touching her cheek.

"Can you feel it? The pain? The blades?" Motoko asked desperately. At Taichi's nod, she continued, neither noticed the nurse leave discreetly. "Everybody falls for the mask. I think Iori was the only one to get a glimpse through the eyeholes. And that's the only pain I feel. Seeing my friends fall for the mask. Help me, please. I need..." she trailed off, tears falling, their gazes still locked. Taichi grabbed her shoulders and pressed her hard against his chest. She grabbed his shirt at his sleeves, sobbing hysterically. "I need the oblivion Koushiro gave me, can you help me? Please?" she begged.

Knowing exactly want she meant, he knew he couldn't deny this young woman anything, not after feeling the blades that sliced her heart for who knows how long. The fact that doing so would not really help her or him, the fact that he was betraying both his best friend and the love of his life didn't seem to enter his thoughts. He just knew he had to lessen the pain nobody else could feel but them.

Their lips met in desperate longing, to erase, to create, who knows. Only the oblivion did they strive for. They were only both a giver and a receiver. A giver of pain, a receiver of the message of pleading. A giver of oblivion and a receiver of that sought after freedom. Heat so hot it was cold but comforting laced over skin and inside their bodies. Lightning seared lips and mouths as tongues met and looked for the warmth of the cold fire. Tears melded onto Taichi's tanned skin, and he clasped her tighter. They heard a slight sound and parted turned quickly and guiltily. In a few seconds, the comfort they were so close in achieving came crashing down around them like thin glass.

"Taichi...how...could...Motoko..." Koushiro stumbled for words and stared with unseeing black eyes. "I...I came to say...I..." Koushiro's whole body shut down it seemed. His eyes blanked, his body lax, and his mouth closed slowly. He turned and fled, his feet echoing down the hall.

"Koushiro..." Motoko choked out, her hand rising towards the door.

"Oh my god." Taichi mumbled, his own eyes wide.

"Kou...I'm so sorry, Taichi...I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry...gomen nasai...gomen...gomen." She repeated over and over, shaking her head as if it would turn back time.

"Motoko...shh...shh...it'll be okay." Taichi whispered, immediately taking her in his arms once again, only this time to stop her tremors.

"No...no it won't. I hurt Koushiro, I used you...and I betrayed Tsubaki. Oh my god. This is what I get for being selfish again. I want to never wake up again." Motoko sobbed, her head shaking back and forth, and her shoulders heaving.

"You're right on some counts. But you needed someone...I was there. I should've been Koushiro, but I wasn't. We can't change that. But we can be honest to Tsubaki before she gets hurt. And we can try to explain it to Koushiro." Taichi trailed off doubtfully on the last bit.

"You know what he came to say don't you? Don't you?" Motoko laughed, hot tears falling faster. She laughed until her laughter became silent, unable to laugh anymore, and unable to stop.

By the time her head hit the pillow, even her tears refused to fall. Taichi fell to his knees at the edge of the bed, his head resting on his arms. _What have I done? I just needed to help...damn it Izumi! Why couldn't you have been there for the girl who's so obviously in love with you? Why did you come so damn late?_

V V V

BEEP!

"YEAH! The others! We can start our get back together plan!" Miyako cried happily. She turned on her screen to see Takeru, Sora, Kari, Daisuke, Ken, Jyou, Yamato...and Koushiro at the screen.

"We're all on Koushiro's Pineapple again." Sora explained quickly.

"Oh, that seriously dents the plan." Shizuko muttered sarcastically.

"What's wrong, Koushiro?" Iori asked suddenly, studying his older friend. The redhead said nothing.

"Where's Motoko? I thought she'd be there with you guys." Shizuko asked, temporarily forgetting what had taken place the yesterday. They all flinched and looked at Koushiro, he stared at something none could see.

"She feel into a coma again after fainting in front of a bus stop yesterday."

"WHAT!"

"Don't worry. At nine 'o' clock she fell into a normal sleep and woke up at midnight and never fell asleep again. I heard that she still can speak, but she's having a really hard time trying to walk on her own. Last I heard, about an hour ago, she was in a regular sleep. She wore herself out trying to walk." Sora continued to explain quickly.

"She wasn't only walking." Koushiro muttered darkly. They looked at him, but it was as if he hadn't even spoken.

"He did just speak, right?" Melina whispered to Yukina. Yukina nodded.

"Where's Taichi?" Tsubaki asked, her eyes finally resting on Sora after examining the screen for the familiar face. Koushiro flinched as if shot.

"He's probably still with Motoko. Making sure she's alright." He snapped, his eyes blazing.

"What's your deal? At least someone's there for her! You should be the one caring for her!" Shizuko yelled.

"Taichi's doing a wonderful job. Don't tell me he hasn't emailed you yet, Tsubaki-san?" he asked his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Koushiro? What's wrong?" Kari asked.

"Nothing really. Just when I went to apologize, Motoko was heavily engaged in tonsil hockey!" Koushiro yelled.

"NANI?" all the other yelped at once.

"Koushiro! Damn it! If you were going to tell them at least find out the truth first!" shouted Taichi running up and stopping, gasping for air, his hands on his knees. "Damn you. Why couldn't you have been there? You and your damnable I-have-no-emotion mask!"

"Up yours, Yagami!" Koushiro shouted back, his face red, his whole body trembling.

"Whoa, Koushiro, Taichi, what's going on?" Yamato asked confused.

"This two-timing pervert was the one Motoko was kissing!" Koushiro snapped. Gasps echoed through the computer.

"Taichi?" Tsubaki whispered.

"Don't you dare turn this on me, Izumi. If you had been the one there... to see those haunted eyes. I...I had to help...damn it, I felt her pain. She was crying in my arms, she couldn't walk, you refused to speak to her...and she was bleeding on the inside, she needed my help." Taichi tried to explain, running fingers through his wild hair.

"Right and I'm supposed to believe that?" Koushiro asked pissed.

"Hai." Taichi said sadly, his eyes downcast. "She was begging for you, but knew you wouldn't come. I did the only thing I could think of doing to help."

"KISSING PEOPLE DOESN'T MAKE THEM WALK AGAIN!" Koushiro roared.

"That's not what I meant!" Taichi yelled back.

"Did you feel blades?" Yukina asked suddenly. They all stopped and looked at her. Her brown eyes were wide as if realizing something from long ago.

"What? Yes, I did. It felt like they were cutting into my skin, my very being-"

"Your soul?" Yukina interrupted, her eyes now meeting his. "Did she ask for oblivion?"

"Yes, she did."

"She must still be hurting. She's been searching for oblivion since she was a little girl." Yukina said, tears forming in her eyes.

"She was searching with me. She had found oblivion." Taichi said quietly, he looked at Koushiro. Koushiro however was staring at Yukina, his body frozen.

"What do you mean oblivion?" Sora asked quietly, with a glance at Koushiro.

"When she was eleven...she tried to kill herself. I went to hospital. She was staring at the ceiling, tears running down her face. I could tell she had been crying for a long time. When I sat down next to her, she turned and...her eyes..."

"You felt the blades then?" Taichi murmured.

"Yes. I asked her why, why did she try to kill herself? Her arms were covering in bandages, hiding the deep slashes that she'd made with a hunting knife of her father's."

"A hunting knife?" Mimi gasped. Everybody, even the other Tokyo girls, was staring at Yukina. Yukina nodded.

"She looked at me and smiled. She said, 'I've been searching for an end for a long time. I heard about desperate people, teens, kids, just like me, using a blade to find what I've been searching for. So I tried it. I guess I tried too hard. As soon as I made the first cut, I went over the edge, the pain made me happy, I thought I finally found it. But I didn't...it was just outside my grasp. I knew I had to kill myself to find it wholly. But I don't want to die, Yuki. Yuki, I don't want to die.' And then she burst into tears again." Yukina choked and tears were falling unheeded down her cheeks. "I asked her, 'what are you looking for then? If you don't want to die, then why did you do this? What is it that made you do this just to try and find it?' She started laughing, and she couldn't stop it seemed and she finally stopped, and looked at me again with those empty eyes...

"'Oblivion, Yukina, oblivion, the myth that holds me in my dreams after the pain stops.' After that, she wouldn't say a word. After two months with a psychiatrist, she stopped going. The psychiatrist told her grandparents she the most normal young woman she'd ever seen, and said Motoko was probably just vying for attention. I knew Motoko wasn't though. But she never mentioned oblivion again. And she never cut herself again. She went boy-crazy in eighth grade and remained such a giddy person, I just figured she'd given up or realized she didn't need oblivion. I guess I was wrong."

"Yukina, please stop crying." Jyou pleaded. Yukina looked up at him.

"But I should've tried harder! I shouldn't have just thought she was all better, I knew she wasn't!" Yukina cried.

"Taichi, tell us exactly what happened this morning." Tsubaki said suddenly, her red eyes meeting Taichi's brown ones.

"Okay." He nodded. He proceeded to tell them what had happened. The only thing he left out however, was what he felt when he kissed her. He didn't really think that would help matters. And it was between him and Motoko, that certain part.

"Excuse me." Koushiro said turned and walking away after Taichi finished.

"Izumi!" Taichi yelled. Koushiro turned and walked back up to Taichi.

"Don't worry, I'm going back right now to find out what happened between her and Touji, I believe you and Yukina." He grinned and then, before anybody could blink, Taichi landed on the ground with a thud, Koushiro's fist making direct contact with his face. He walked over and stood over Taichi with black eyes flaming. "But if you ever go near Motoko again, I'll kill you. Sayonara." He turned and then walked towards the exit quickly.

"Wow. Koushiro can get pretty damn violent can't he?" Daisuke whistled. Taichi just nodded.

"Taichi?" He turned to meet Tsubaki's gaze. "When I meet you in the human world, I'll probably smack you too. But I'll forgive you. I know you were telling the truth. I love Motoko, but she's going to get smacked too." Tsubaki smiled, and then giggled at Taichi's amazed expression.

"You go girl!" Melina cried, jumping on Tsubaki from behind. "You better fight for your man."

"I'm just glad she had Taichi instead of say Yamato or Takeru. I don't think me or Sora could've understood as much as you." Kari admitted laughing. Sora agreed joining in with Kari's laughter.

V V V

"Kaname-sama, where is Motoko?" Koushiro asked walking into the small private room. Souta looked up from his magazine.

"She's in the bathroom with Sae. She woke up complaining of needing a bath. I thought you and Motoko had a fight. She had fallen asleep crying this morning and you never came to visit her either."

"We did...now I've come to rectify our quarrel."

"What your what?"

"He's come to put an end to our fight. But he doesn't' need to. I was stupid, and I hurt you, you don't have to come and make sure I'm okay. I'm fine." Motoko said, leaning on Sae's arm as they left the bathroom, Motoko thankfully was wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top and not the backless gown.

"You just can't walk, you're filled with guilt about hurting both me and Tsubaki, and using Taichi, and you're calling yourself names that you don't need to be calling yourself. Of course you're fine." Koushiro said, walking over to where Motoko stood, dumbstruck at Koushirou's words. "Excuse, Mr. and Mrs. Kaname, but Motoko and I need to speak alone for a couple minutes."

"What a brilliant idea." Sae said easily, letting Koushiro take her place. "Come on, Souta, dear, we need to pay some bills anyway. We'll be back in thirty minutes at the latest. Call us if anything comes up. I'm trusting you, young man."

"Hai, ma'am." Koushiro nodded since he couldn't bow. Souta stood up, slightly bewildered.

"But she just woke up. She promised me a game of poker when she woke up. I lost fifty dollars and a Rolex to that vixen, and I want it all back." Souta pouted.

"Honey, that was her allowance, you can't win back your granddaughter's allowance, that's wrong."

"She got that allowance gambling! I have every right to gamble it back!" Souta cried outraged. Sae tutted and pulled him out the door with a cheery wave behind her.

"We need to have a talk you and I." She said closing the door behind her.

"You gamble for allowance?" Koushiro asked, setting Motoko on the edge of the bed.

"Well, yes. We play chess or sports or some type of game with bets. Whoever wins gets the allowance. Usually I win, but if I don't, I don't get allowance for another month. But that's not the point, why are you here?" Motoko asked, baffled.

"Yukina told about the incident when you were eleven, and Taichi told me exactly what had happened. They both spoke about oblivion, and blades. Would you mind explaining for me?" Koushiro told her, twisting a lock of wet mahogany hair. She stared at him.

"She told you about...the..."

"Hunting knife, yes. I want to know everything Motoko. Everyone says what an honest person you are, but ever since I met you, all I've seen are lies." Koushiro's black eyes looked straight into her green ones. "Stop lying to me, Motoko." She held his gaze for a minute, opening her mouth, before closing it and looking away.

"I can't..."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because it hurts to remember."

"You've been stuck remembering for three days, I have a feeling you remember almost every time you fall asleep. Saying what's wrong out loud may help a lot more. I have a feeling you put on a great act when you were with your psychiatrist." Koushiro pointed out. Motoko grimaced.

"She was such a fake. She didn't even try. As soon as I walked in I saw in her eyes, 'another rich, spoiled girl looking for attention.' I didn't want to let her hopes down and therefore showing to her face was a biased fake she was." Motoko spat with anger. "When I realized I could create a mask so perfect that a professional couldn't see through it, I felt powerful and lonely all at the same time. For four years now, I've had on that mask, being the normal boy-crazy girl, hoping that someone would come along and see through me, only one person, or should I say, thing, did. Circusmon was the only one to see my torment. That's when I realized Touji was a lying sack of crap."

Koushiro's eyes widened. _Why was Piedmon after Motoko? _

V V V

"We should get going. We need two more crests besides Touji's, so we have to hurry if we want to finish by Saturday in time for the play." Iori said after a discussion on the crests, and how to release the digimon.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Takeru agreed, standing up and stretching.

"Touji's stopped talking to me, so you guys are going to have to be careful." Yamato warned.

"Don't worry, we only have two crests to go. We have five crests already. It shouldn't be too long until we can come home." Melina said flapping her hand.

"Yeah, but don't let your guard down. Yamato's right, be careful." Jyou said, the old worrywart side of him coming through.

The Digidestined exchanged their goodbyes and then shut off their computers, or D3's. Melina felt a fist squeeze her heart as she closed the top of her D3. _Why is it that every time I say good-bye to Daisuke, it's like the last time I'll ever see him? I don't get it._

They walked through the blistering heat of the desert, the oasis far behind them. When they spoke to the others they had managed to find an abandoned village. Now it was long gone, too, and nothing was obscuring the horizon of the desert in front of them.

Shizuko looked over at Iori, whose shirt was once again adorning Tsubaki's head. He had stopped Tsubaki to force her to drink more water.

"Tsubaki, drink it, or I'll pour out all of mine right now." He ordered.

"I don't need to." Tsubaki argued half-heartedly.

"Of course you don't." Iori said wryly as Tsubaki coughed hoarsely. Tsubaki's shoulders fell and she grabbed her canteen and took a small sip. At Iori's look, she grudgingly took a bigger gulp. "Okay, let's get going."

"I'm going to run out of water before we reach the end." Tsubaki pointed out, grabbing his hand.

"Then I guess we'll have to share." He answered simply. He met Shizuko's gaze and smiled. "I'm just doing my job as a big brother." Tsubaki's smiled up at him.

They ran slowly to catch up to Shizuko before slowing back to a trudging walk.

"Do mine eyes deceive me, or has Iori gotten even hotter?" Melina asked, one eyebrow rising.

"It could be the fact that we're in a desert that's making you think I'm 'hotter'." Iori retorted.

"Or it could be the fact that a tan really becomes you, Iori. Thank goodness you didn't burn." Miyako said with an approving whistle. Iori blushed as the girls laughed laugh softly, so not to strain their parched throats. Yukina looked ahead of them and blinked. She rubbed her eyes and looked again.

"Melina, slap me." Yukina ordered.

"Nani?" Melina asked confused.

"Do it!" Yukina ordered again, rasping. Melina shrugged and smacked her hard across the cheek. Yukina then looked in front of her again. "YES! THE END LOOK!" Yukina out, running with all her strength, Finmon opening her eyes to see distant green. Her tail flapped once tiredly, unable to speak, the desert affecting her more than even Tsubaki.

"YES!" the digidestined cried out, tearing after her. Tsubaki stumbled and coughed. Iori was tugged back, still holding her hand.

"I can't run, onii-san." Tsubaki coughed. Iori bit his lip.

"Baublemon, think you can fly the rest of the way there?"

"Hai! Why?" Iori pulled Tsubaki up and then let go of her hand.

"Start flying." He said letting Baublemon go. He swooped Tsubaki into his arms bridal style. "Shall we?" he asked, grinning at her wide eyes.

But, I'm heavy."

"No, you're not." Iori disagreed, starting to jog towards the rolling hills. Tsubaki, held him around the neck and, unable to fight it, fell asleep.

"Aw, how cute! I never would've guessed you were so strong." Melina said, flopping onto the grass.

"I knew he was. When I almost fell off the side of the mountain, remember? I'm no Tinkerbell, and I'm taller than him, but he still was able to drag me back." Shizuko reminded Melina.

"Oh, I forgot about that." Iori set Tsubaki gently down on the ground, in the shadow of clouds.

"This is so weird. There were no clouds in the desert, yet there're clouds here. And there's wind too." Miyako rose to face to the cool breeze.

"Well, the digital world is weird." Melina said as if that settled matters. Finmon laughed happily as Yukina found a small pond and threw Finmon in.

V V V

"I wish I could tell you, but it's hard. Whenever I try to tell someone, my throat closes and nothing comes out." Motoko said sadly.

"Motoko, whatever you're not telling us, may help us. Touji's partner, Circusmon, is the in-training form of an evil digimon Taichi, Sora, Yamato, Takeru, Jyou, Mimi, Hikari, and I fought eight years ago. We need to know what's he's up to. You may have a key." Koushiro told her, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to look him in the eye. Motoko looked at him amazed.

"Circusmon, evil? But he always...comforted...he was just acting wasn't he? IT WAS ALL HIS FAULT! I knew it! Touji never even liked me! Circusmon did it to me! Circusmon made all my nightmares come back! Made Touji do those horrible things to me! I'LL KILL HIM!" Motoko yelled jumping up. Her legs gave way, and she fell towards the floor. Koushiro caught her just in time with a loud 'oof'. Suddenly, they began to fuzz out; Motoko stared at Koushiro and him at her.

"We're going to-" Motoko started, before they disappeared.

V V V

"Hey, what's that? It's looks that the grass was mowed here." Miyako said curiously.

"And here! Look!" Yukina said, pointing. Iori looked at he mowed grass with narrowed eyes.

"Miyako, make Poromon digivolve."

"Is there an enemy?" Miyako asked, looking around.

"Iie. I just need to look at the ground from above to see if my hunch is correct." Iori replied with a shake of his head.

"I'm on it, Iori!" Poromon said. Poromon quickly digivolved to Aquillamon. He flew into the sky, Iori and Miyako on his back.

"Whoa! Look at that!" Miyako cried out. "Is that was you were checking out?" Miyako asked, her arms around Iori's waist. Iori nodded.

"It's a crest." Iori said, as he and Miyako landed back on the ground, Aquillamon de-digivolving to Poromon.

"It must be either mine or Motoko's." Shizuko said her head tilted.

"Or Touji's." Yukina said quietly. Tsubaki stirred and opened her eyes, facing the sky. She blinked.

"Onii-san." Tsubaki called out quietly. Iori looked at her and then up. He gaped.

Motoko and Koushiro were still looking at each other when they reappeared.

"-the digital world." Motoko finished. They looked down and realized they were falling.

"AHHH!" they screamed. Motoko stopped at the same time Koushiro did.

"Hey, look, it's a crest in the ground." Motoko said tilting her head.

Suddenly the ground got too close. She let out an eek and hid her face in the curve of Koushiro's neck and shoulder. He held he around the shoulders and closed his eyes, managing to turn his body so he could get full force of the landing. He blinked when their bodies stopped moving, but he didn't feel the ground. Motoko peeked out the side of her eye and gasped.

"We're floating!" she yelped. About a foot off the ground, a purplish-blue light was cradling them.

"I noticed." Koushiro blinked. _What in the world is that light?_

"Motoko!" cried four girls' voices. She looked up to see her friends from Tokyo running towards her.

"SHIZU, MEL, YUKI, BAKI!" she cried happily. On instinct she moved to get up and fell the rest of the way down, leaving a confused Koushiro hovering above her. She blinked and growled. "Damn light."

"Um, Koushiro, you might want to get off anytime now." Koushiro looked up to meet Iori's gaze.

"Konnichiwa..." Koushiro said, absentmindedly. Everybody laughed at his stupefied expression, before he moved to stand and fell right on top of Motoko.

"OW! DAMN YOU, IZUMI!" Motoko yelled her voice slightly muffled.

"Gomen, Motoko." Koushiro said standing up immediately. Motoko flopped onto her back.

"Where'd the light go?" she asked.

"It disappeared when Koushiro fell." Miyako said. Koushiro frowned.

"I wanted to get a decent analysis on it." Koushiro complained.

"Why aren't you getting up?" Melina asked, looking down at Motoko, still on the ground.

"Because I can't, duh?" Motoko snapped.

"Oh, right, you can't walk very well." Melina remembered.

"Okay, now that you know...CAN YOU HELP ME UP?" Motoko yelled. Melina jumped with an 'eep'.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Motoko, I was so caught up in thinking about that light, I forgot." Koushiro apologized quickly, leaning down to grab her hand and pulled her up, letting her fall against him.

"Doomo." Motoko sighed. Looking up at him with a smile. Their eyes met and they quickly looked away.

"Are you guys okay?" Yukina asked tentatively.

"What do you mean?" Motoko said with her hand, the one not holding Koushiro's, behind her head.

"Like are you guys back together?" Melina asked bluntly, fists on her hips.

"Uh...um..." Motoko trailed off, her eyes lowered.

"We were just discussing that when we began to fuzz out. Well, Motoko?"

"Nani?" Motoko asked with a twitchy smile.

"Either you trust me, or we'll never be able to be a couple." Koushiro replied, his eyes dead serious. Her shoulders slumped.

"You want me to tell you about Touji." She sighed. "Fine, but first let me sit down."

Koushiro lowered her carefully down. She managed to get to feet stretched out before her by herself.

"Okay, it might take awhile, if I'm going to tell you guys about Touji, I might as well be honest about everything." She took a deep breath,

"My mother left my father and I when I was four years old for a man she fell in love with, who wasn't my father, obviously. I was alone with my father ever since. He abused me and blamed me for my mother's leaving and called me horrible names. Whore, tramp, saying I'd never feel or give love because love didn't exist. Love was a lie, and my mother was the queen of liars. I tried my best to make my father realize it wasn't true, I did love him, when he died of alcohol poisoning when I was nine.

"I moved in with my grandparents. For two years I was plagued with nightmares of my father, and I tried to make them go away. Don't worry, he never raped me or anything. It was just the guilt. Every night I was afraid to go to sleep, and I would eventually, crying into my pillow. I tried everything I could think of for two years to find an end, to find oblivion. When cutting myself didn't work, I realized that oblivion, what I was searching for, in a twisted way, was my way of saying love." Motoko took a breath.

"After that I tried finding oblivion with boys. Everyday I would 'fall in love' and go out with a boy, when I could find it, I'd find an excuse to dump him. Everybody started calling me boy-crazy, and tramp and other names, but I didn't care, I needed to find my oblivion, I needed to find what I father said was a lie. In other words, I was replacing teenage boys with my father, trying to love _them_.

"I met Touji in the digital world when we were thirteen. I thought I finally found him, but he loved Shizuko. I once again put on my mask and just flirted, never showing how much I was hurting. Then, after we left, he came to my house, Circusmon with him, and told he loved me. I couldn't believe it. I was shocked. I was too blind to my happiness at find 'love' at last; I didn't realize anything was wrong.

"About the second month, I told him about the nightmares. Then, he started getting abusive. Calling the names my father always did. Circusmon would comfort me and tell me everything would be all right. I love my computer, and Circusmon knew that, he told me that doing something difficult on it might calm me down. I started creating this weird program, doing what he told me to do. I was so intrigued I couldn't stop after that. It was almost addictive. Every time Touji hit me or had a fight with me, I'd go to the computer and work on program after program. I didn't even know what I was doing, I still don't know what I did, I just know it helped.

"Until one night, Touji called and told me to come over. His parents, as usual were gone. I noticed Circusmon was angry about something, but before I could ask what was wrong, Touji grabbed me around my throat...and..." Motoko closed her eyes, and inhaled sharply, "He raped me." She whispered. The girls gasped, Iori gripped his pants tightly as Koushiro tensed, his own grip tightening around Motoko's shoulders. Pawmon crawled forward. Motoko looked up and met his gold eyes and grabbed him, burying her face in his mane.

"I hid Pawmon every time Touji came over, even before Touji raped me and started hitting me. I didn't want Pawmon to know. But one night, about two weeks after...the night Touji called me, Pawmon noticed bruises on my ribs and wrists and the shadows under my eyes. He asked why I wasn't sleeping, and what had happened. I told him about a monster who hurt me, and refused to let me sleep, but I wouldn't tell him who. He tried to get the name so many times, but I refused to tell him." Pawmon nodded, tears slipping from his closed eyes.

"The first time it happened it was near the third month, and for another three months...I'd go over to his house, I don't even know why, and let him do it, even though I begged him to stop. Suddenly, on the six months, something broke, like a string was connecting me to Touji, a string I couldn't break but finally did, and I realized what he was doing to me. I fought back one night, tooth and nail. I ran out of his house, I swear I heard laughter, but it wasn't Touji. It was echoing in my head, and then, it was gone, and I felt free, and I felt so stupid. I wasn't me when I was there or anywhere near him. I had no idea why I had been with him so long when I promised myself when my father died that no other man would hurt me like my father had." Motoko finished, her eyes clamped tightly closed.

"But after Touji...you still..." Melina trailed off.

"Boy-crazy." Motoko laughed hollowly. "He cornered me in the school hallway. I was going to fight him, but he pressed a knife to my side. I felt it cut through my clothes. He told me if I told anyone, if I acted different, he would kill me. Plus...I didn't want to stop...stop looked for oblivion, it was a quest I refused to give up." Motoko smiled into Pawmon mane. "I would dream of a boy who would see through me and save me from the nightmares that continued to haunt me and got worse after Touji."

"Motoko..." Shizuko whispered. Motoko looked up.

"I tried to warn you, but...I was afraid of dying. I almost died once, I didn't want to again. Anyway, Touji did love you." Shizuko glanced away, disgusting at the thought of him and at herself. Melina, Yukina, and Tsubaki all had the same expressions on their faces. Disgusted and angry at themselves for not seeing through the façade that their friend, who had done so much for them, had shielded herself with.

Pawmon made a protesting sound as hands grabbed him. Motoko looked up, confused. Koushiro set Pawmon down, and then looked down at her. Her eyes widened in fear. _Does he hate me? Is he disgusted with me? I was raped and used like a pawn, and I didn't even stop it..._her thoughts trailed off in despair as he continued to look down at her. Abruptly, he grabbed her, and held her tight, his face in her hair.

"Don't you ever keep anything from me. Don't ever wear your mask again. And don't ever not kick a guy where it hurts if he even looks at you the wrong way, whoever the hell he is." Koushiro ordered his eyes closed tight against tears. Motoko blinked, and then wrapped her arms around his waist, bursting into sobs, her face pressed against his chest.

"Okay, promise." Motoko choked out. The others looked away uncomfortable.

"What a touching moment." They all looked up to see Trapezemon once again floating upside down and Touji standing on his feet. "I think we should break up this moment, what about you, Trapezemon?" Touji sneered. Pawmon growled, jumping in front of Motoko.

"Yes, I do believe we shall." Trapezemon cackled. "Trapezemon digivolve to...

"Ringmastemon! High Wire Act!" The digivolved Trapezemon slapped his hands together and then spread them apart, a wire forming between his palms. The wire flung out of his hands and wrapped around Motoko, dragging her away from Koushiro and up into the air.

"YOU DAMN DIGIMON! PUT ME DOWN!" she screamed, pissed, as Ringmastemon spun around and around as Touji jumped to the ground.

"No can do, sweetie!" he then flipped right side up leaving Motoko upside down as the wire straightened as if it were a pole.

"I hate you." Motoko muttered, her knees touching and one leg a little to the side the other bent back like she was kneeling.

"It looks like I've finally gotten a prize." Touji mocked.

"PAWMON DIGIVOLVE!" Motoko yelled. Pawmon quickly digivolved to Cubmon then to Leomon and thundered towards Touji with a roar.

"We all need to digivolve!" Miyako yelled as Touji dodged Leomon's fist.

Koushiro stood off to the side, his eyes livid. _Where the hell is Tentomon when you need him?_

"Eh?" What's that noise?" Motoko pondered out loud. Suddenly a big red bug zoomed into her face.

"Need of assistance ma'am?"

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Motoko screamed.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"I don't think so buggy!" Ringmastemon yelled, holding up his hand.

"Too late!" Tentomon chirped, cutting the wire with his claw.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Motoko screamed again. "YOU DAMN BUG, CATCH ME!"

"Oh, dear me..." Tentomon flew down and grabbed her by the bottom of her shorts. "You're heavy!"

"Great, first you almost kill me, and then you call me fat. I definitely love you!" Motoko snapped. Tentomon gently set her down on the ground as Koushiro came running up.

"Tentomon!" Koushiro cried happily.

"Izzy!" Tentomon cried back, flying into Koushiro's open arms.

"That's your partner?" Motoko gaped.

"Affirmative."

"Ugh!" Motoko fell back with a groan.

"Megaphone Bazooka!" Ringmastemon yelled. It hit the ground right next to Motoko sending her flying. She landed with a thud and a loud 'ow'.

"Why does everybody want to kill me?" Motoko yelled.

"Motoko!" Koushiro yelled, running towards her with Tentomon at his shoulder. Another well-aimed bullet sent Koushiro flying into the ground.

"Koushiro!"

"Izzy!" Tentomon and Motoko shouted at the same time. She tried to stand, just to fall back down as WereChamelemon went thudding into the ground.

"High Wire Act!" Ringmastemon laughed, his wire grabbing Norwhamon and slamming her into Forgemon. Touji himself was having a hard time with Leomon, while Feathemon and Windommon were attacking Ringmastemon.

"I've got to get to Koushiro." Motoko muttered, vainly raising herself onto her palms. "I've got to...I've got to tell him I'm sorry, and I'll never lie to him again. I hate lying. I'm an honest person...it's about time I started acting like one." Suddenly the ground began to glow below her and she realized she had landed on the crest on the grass. "Huh?" She mumbled.

She slowly started to float off the ground, her whole body glowing in the light. As she was set back on her feet, the light began to grow smaller on her body until it formed a necklace with a glowing crest on a tag.

"Hurry! Make Leomon digivolve!" Iori yelled as Windommon went crashing into the ground followed by Feathemon.

"Right! Leomon, digivolve!" Motoko yelled, her crest glowing.

"Leomon digivolve to...

"Pumamon! The Feline of Honesty!" announced a cat-like digimon taking Leomon's place. His fur was a red-gold, wings on the back of each paw. His tail was long and striped, like a raccoon's, only not fluffy. He lowered himself near the ground, his long tail twitching.

"Go PUMAMON! Show that monster what for!" Motoko cheered, hopping up and down.

"Feline Ambush!" Pumamon cried out, jumping upon Ringmastemon, and knocking him to the ground. He began biting and scratching, his yowls of anger flooding the air.

"High Wire Act!" Ringmastemon managed to shout.

"Scything Paw!" Pumamon yelled, swiping his claws at the wire after jumping backward. He growled and slunk to the ground once more, his eyes flashing. His muscles tensed. "Feline Ambush!"

"Megaphone Bazooka!" in the explosion, everyone covered their eyes and opened them to see, Pumamon holding Ringmastemon by the throat, his teeth sinking deep.

"Make him stop or I'll kill her!" Touji called out suddenly. He had Tsubaki back the back of her hair, a pocketknife to her neck.

"Pumamon, stop." Motoko ordered quickly. Pumamon backed off, a growled in rumbling in his chest. Ringmastemon walked towards Touji as Touji walked towards him. As Ringmastemon neared Touji, he de-digivolved to Circusmon, and Touji threw Tsubaki to ground, grabbed Circusmon as he jumped onto Touji's arms, a fractal code surrounded them and then disappeared.

Motoko stood breathing heavily. Sweat poured down her face and her face was flushed. Tsubaki walked up to her.

SMACK!

"Don't you ever kiss Taichi again." Tsubaki whispered.

"Right-o." Motoko grinned and saluted her with two fingers. "Glad to see you showing off...your...eyes?" She fainted and landed with a loud thud.

V V V

Kitty: By the way, I wrote 'Koushiro', Koushirou' in a couple chapters, and now it's back to 'Koushiro'. Makes it easier for me and... I dunno... >tilts head to side I think it looks better. 'Koushirou' looks a little messy. >shrug Whatever, maybe my next story his name will be spelled right. BEBO! One more chapter to go... I cheated by teh way. I did teh last chapter before I finshed Raging Brutality. Tee hee.


	10. Raging Brutality

Chapter Ten

Raging Brutality

Motoko slept fitfully, her face flushed and her body trembling.

"It looks like a fever. But I need to be _there_ to tell for sure how bad it is." Jyou said with a shake of his head, his black eyes worried.

"It's okay. Thanks, Jyou." Koushiro brushed the hair off her forehead.

"I have some water." Yukina said pulling out her canteen.

"Where did the water receptacles come from?" Koushiro asked surprised.

"The sky." Iori answered simply. "Seriously." He said to Koushiro raised eyebrow.

"You have to get her to a shelter of some kind. She's too exposed to the elements. Her fever could get worse." Jyou said as Yukina wet a handkerchief. She's one of those people who always have one.

"Uhnng." Motoko moaned quietly, tossing her head as Yukina placed her handkerchief on her forehead.

"But we're in the middle of a friggin' field!" Shizuko snapped. Koushiro chewed his lip anxiously.

"There's an abandoned Yokomon village. There may even be some food there, Izzy." Tentomon piped up suddenly.

"Prodigious!" Koushiro sighed in relief.

"How are we going to get her there?" Melina asked frowning.

"Obviously, transport her there manually." Koushiro explained. He examined her carefully. "I think I may be able to... she did lose weight while in the coma."

"You're probably the strongest one here, too. We're all weak from the journey. After carrying Tsubaki here, I really can't do much." Iori said sheepishly.

"Okay." Koushiro blushed. "I'm going to make a complete fool of myself. I don't convey people. I'm a computer nerd." Miyako, Melina, and Yukina giggled. Koushiro picked her up, his eyes widening.

"Wow, go Koushiro." Miyako clapped.

"But-but...she's so _light_!" Koushiro exclaimed. "She's ingests too much for this to be scientifically possible."

"It must be the power of love." Miyako giggled. Melina and Shizuko rolled their eyes.

V V V

"So, have you figured out how you two got back? Or how she got here in the first place?"

Motoko stirred quietly as she heard the low voices of her friends around her. She blearily opened her eyes to see everyone talking to their D3's and Tsubaki sharing hers with Koushiro.

"No. And I don't have my Pineapple. All my information is on it."

"Sorry, I still have it." She saw Yamato's face on Tsubaki's screen.

"This is my computer, Yamato, get yer own!" Taichi growled pushing him. A brief tussle was heard on the other side of the screen and Taichi and Yamato were pushing on each other's faces angrily.

Motoko giggled. "Eek!" She cried surprised as the handkerchief plastered on her forehead fell. "What is that? Oh." She tilted her head to the side looking at it strangely.

"Moto?"

"Motoko?" She looked up at Koushiro's voice. Cubmon jumped into her lap, her eyes still stuck on Koushiro's.

"Yep! I'm up now. Why are the digimon all in Rookie level?" She asked finally tearing her eyes away.

"We thought it best. It will take less time when they digivolve when we're attacked by Piedmon." Iori answered. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel little better. Still a little hot under the collar. My legs are still pretty shaky, too. A good long sleep should do me good." she answered. "I like being honest again. No more guilt." She smiled, her head tilting to the side, her nose wrinkled a bit.

"Oh, I missed you!" cried Yukina cried launching herself at her, squishing Cubmon. Soon, all the Tokyo girls were hugging her, Miyako joining in laughing.

"I missed you all, too! Let me advise you, comas are _not_ the easy ticket outta here!" Motoko joked laughing and crying at the same time like the rest of the girls.

"DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" the girls shouted as one. Motoko blinked and stared at them frightened.

"Sure thing." she agreed.

"Geroff of me!" Cubmon yelled under the mass of bodies. The girls scooted back giggling.

"Sorry, Cubmon." Yukina said.

"Hmph." He licked his fur, miffed. Motoko giggled.

"I hear you were a hero." Motoko said snuggling with her partner.

"Not...not really." Cubmon murmured, embarrassed and pleased at the same time. He purred loudly as she scratched under his chin.

"Good, kitty." She blushed vividly as her stomach growled loudly.

"Oh! Of course, you're insatiate. I'll be a nano." Koushiro left quickly.

"Um, okay. Where are we anyway?" She asked, still slightly red.

"A deserted Yokomon village."

"Deserted, why?" Motoko asked Iori.

"That's right. You don't know." Melina realized.

"Know what? What did I miss?"

"A lot. You were in a coma when we found the first one." Melina said chewing her last handful of granola.

"Found what?"

"A prison for digimon." Koushiro said entering holding a small bowl. "I know it looks like bird food, but it's good. You can't live off meat apples, you know." Koushiro said with a soft smile. Motoko blushed and took it.

"Thanks, Kou-kun." She looked at it with a frown. "How do I eat it? Just pick it up in my hand?"

"Yep! It's finger food, miss." Tentomon said.

"You're that bug!" She shrieked with a pointing finger.

"Tentomon, Motoko. Now, eat and we'll explain what Quimon and Upamon discovered." Koushiro said seriously. She stuffed her mouth quickly. He raised an eyebrow.

"Anyway, Quimon and Upamon found a strange building that reflected its surroundings. The only way to find it is if you know it's there. Quimon saw the light from Yukina's crest the day you fell in the coma. She and Upamon searched for it and found it filled with In-Training digimon in cages. Their data was getting...well, sucked out of them, I guess." Shizuko looked to Koushiro. Motoko eyes were wide and horrified.

"_Sucked out of them?_" Motoko gaped. She quickly shoved more food in her mouth, before Koushiro could say anything. He blinked, then shook his head.

"That's one way of saying it, yes. Someone's downloading their fractal code into an encrypted program. The program is making smaller programs that defy the laws of the Digital World-"

"The tarantula. It was coming after _me..._" Suddenly her eyes widened.

"Yes. I almost hacked into it, but I couldn't completely. I was sidetracked because I found the way to cure-" A bowl of small yellow-green seeds fell and spilled across the floor. "Motoko?"

"I...I made it. It was coming after me to...kill me. I made it." Her eyes were wide and her body shook. "The whole time...he was using me to make that program! Oh my god."

"What? What are you talking abou-" Shizuko stopped.

"You mean, when you were with Touji, and Circusmon told you to create that program and you didn't know what you were doing?" Miyako asked. Motoko nodded.

"That has to be it. Why else would Circusmon choose me? I'm a genius, remember? He would have used Koushiro, but...well, I don't think his plan would've worked as well with a boy...especially since it was easy to snare me." Motoko looked down at her hands, opening and closing them slowly. "He used me...to create some monstrous program I don't even know how to delete. It's on Koushiro's laptop, too. How stupid can a genius get, huh?" She laughed at herself harshly and clenched her hands into fists. "I'm such an idiot!" She rubbed her eyes hard, refusing to cry.

"Everybody makes mistakes, even geniuses." Koushiro pulled away her fists. "You'll hurt your eyes that way." He smiled at her and she flung herself against his chest.

"HEY!" Miyako shouted suddenly, everyone jumped.

"MIYA!" Daisuke cried from Melina's D3.

"Sorry. I just remembered something. Ken, this happened to you, too." Miyako reminded him.

"That's right." Ken said surprised.

"I totally forgot about that." Taichi said with a hand behind his head.

"You mean when Ken was the Digimon Emperor?" Mimi asked.

"Exactly!" Miyako nodded. Motoko looked at Miyako with one red eye.

"You mean, Ken was used to create an evil program and didn't even realize what he was doing?"

"Yes. He created Dark Spires that a man named Oikawa eventually used to try and get into the digital world andwere reallyused to empower a digimon named Myotismon." Koushiro explained. She looked up at him startled as the other Tokyo girls gasped.

"You mean that evil digimon every Digidestined helped destroy five years ago? And three years before then had Odaiba surrounded by fog and nobody could go in or out?"

"Yes. How'd you know about that?" Koushiro asked surprised.

"We were all at summer camp that year about eight years ago and it snowed. Wait a minute!" Shizuko grabbed Iori's D3. She stared at Takeru. "AAAHHHHHH!" she screamed pointing at the screen.

"What!" Everyone cried.

"LOOK AT HIM!" Shizuko screamed showing the Tokyo girls. They blinked and stared at a baffled Takeru.

"AHHHH!" they all, but Melina, screamed pointing.

"What's wrong with me?" Takeru cried out.

"You that cute boy from summer camp!" They all shrieked.

"Huh?"

"We went to summer camp when we were eight, Motoko seven. _He_ was the cute little boy we all had a crush on. We were spying on him the day he disappeared." Shizuko said.

"WHAT!" The Digidestined shouted.

"We ran screaming to our camp counselors, but they didn't believe us. Nobody else saw the giant tsunami but us." Motoko said.

"You were there, too." Tsubaki said looking down at Tai suddenly. A dawning light shined on Yukina, Motoko, and Shizuko's faces. They turned and stared at Koushiro.

"You're the nerd that brought a _computer_ to camp." They said as one.

"I resent that!" Koushiro said blushing.

"You were sooo cute! Your hair was so _fluffy_!" Motoko giggled. Koushiro blushed redder.

"What was with the gloves?" Shizuko asked with a raised eyebrow. Almost all the original Digidestined blushed.

"That's right. All but Jyou and Takaisha-san had gloves." Yukina realized.

"I can't believe a wore such a fashion no-no! Brown gloves? EW!" Mimi cried ashamed.

"Hey! I had brown gloves!" Yamato said defensively.

"With a _pink_ dress?" Mimi asked.

"No." Yamato choked out. Everyone laughed.

"I have no idea what the heck you're talking about." Melina spoke up suddenly.

"Same here." Daisuke said with a nod. Iori and Ken nodded quietly. Poor Miyako's eyes were in swirls and she was blanked out.

"I think we confused Miyako a little too much. Miyako?" Yukina asked quietly.

"What the _hell_ are you guys talking about?" Miyako shouted snapping back to reality. They all laughed again.

"Back to business, though, guys. We still need to know how to fight this new program." Tai said.

"You mean how _we_ are." Motoko said. She rose onto her knees, her fists clenched and her mouth set. "It's time to right what I did wrong. It's our turn girls and Iori. It's _our_ journey. It's _our_ duty. Are you guys ready? Touji is just a puppet and is being controlled by an evil _I_ helped. If not to show ourselves that we're good enough to be Digidestined, then to save Touji." Motoko held out her hand.

"I'm with you, Motoko. It's so good to have you back." Yukina said wiping away a tear.

"What the hell. Me and WereChamelemon didn't go through all that crap for nothing."

"WereChamelemon and I." Motoko teased. Melina punched her softly and placed her hand over Motoko's and Yukina's. Tsubaki rose and placed her hand raising her red eyes defiantly.

"It's about time girls took over! I want to prove it to myself I can defeat an evil foe and go back home still feeling like a hero." Miyako smiled and placed her hand in the middle.

Shizuko and Iori rose onto their knees and grabbed each other's hand.

"I know Touji is being used as a puppet and not really evil, but doesn't change my feelings for you. I want to save Touji and break up with him and show him I still do care, just not the same way he does about me."

"I don't like being the only guy...it's time I save the other one." Iori said seriously. They all laughed as the two added their hands.

"It's time to find the last two Crests you guys." Motoko said. They looked at Shizuko.

"Then let's get started." Shizuko grinned, black eyes flashing.

"We should all get some sleep first." Koushiro said. The small circle fell.

"WAY TO RUIN THE MOMENT, BRAINIAC!" Melina, Motoko, Shizuko, and Miyako shouted.

Everyone said good-bye and closed their D3's. Iori and Shizuko snuggled down by the front door, their digimon between them. Yukina, Melina, and Miyako all huddled together, limbs entwined and overlapping, Hawkmon on Miyako's stomach, Finmon on both Melina and Yukina's shoulders and Iguanamon curling around all three heads.

Koushiro stirred the small fire in the middle of the little hut, though much larger than the knee high ones (it had been built by the Yokomon in case humans visited them again). Smoke wafted through the small hole at the top. Cubmon was curled around a buzzing-snoring Tentomon. Motoko sat, her back against the wall, her arms wrapped around her knees. Koushiro sat next her. They were still uncomfortable with each other after what had happened before returning to the digital world. Koushiro yawned suddenly, his eyes drooping. Motoko smiled softly.

"You should sleep." she whispered looking over at him. He glanced at her, a blush warming his face. He blinked. The firelight played with the gold highlights in her hair, her green eyes had darkened to black, and the light flicked over her slightly pale face from her sickness. She took his breathaway.She looked at him confused. "Is there something on my face?" She asked worriedly. He shook his head.

"No. Sorry."

She tilted her head to one side. Her mouth slightly frowning. He leaned forward and kissed her gently. Her eyes widened and a blush graced her cheeks faintly. She relaxed and fell into the kiss, her heart squeezing at the softness filling her at his touch. His arms wrapped around her waist and she fell forward, and him backward. They parted for breath, eyes meeting.

"Am I forgiven?" she whispered, her eyes flickered with fear, then carefully shielded it.

"Yeah. Just no kissing anybody else. I don't think I can handle it." He said. She smiled at him.

"I promise." She snuggled under chin. "No one has the oblivion you give me." She whispered, pushing aside the fear and doubt of herself. Her crest flashed as her eyes closed, and then the light faded completely, as if dead.

V V V

Shizuko slipped out the door, glancing quickly towards Koushiro and Motoko, thankfully sleeping. She walked outside the village and lay in the tall grass. Her eyes gazed up at the digital stars.

"I miss the stars back home. My mother and I used to stay up late to trace out patterns."

Shizuko looked over at Iori who settled down beside her.

"Lucky you."

"Didn't have that kind of home?" Iori asked gently. Shizuko looked away.

"No..."

"You don't have to talk about them."

"Then I won't." Shiuzko snapped. Iori pulled his legs up and wrapping his arms around his knees. Shiuzko sighed. "They were murdered, happy now? Brutally shot down. My mom six times...my father eleven." Iori's eyes widened.

Shizuko looked up at the sky. A stream of purple drifted across her field of vision and she took a deep breath.

"My mom and dad were drug dealers, okay? They were teenagers, kicked out of their homes because of me. My mom was only sixteen and my dad seventeen. They pushed drugs to other kids their age. But...they did it for me. They loved each other, and they loved me, enough to do something so bad. I grew up loving them, too. I didn't know what they were doing was wrong. I didn't know anything, but the love they felt towards me." She broke off abruptly. She closed her eyes and continued.

"Around my fourth birthday, my dad got a real job. He persuaded his new boss to hire my mom, too. Mr. Motosawa, his boss, was really cool and found out about had been going on. As long as his name didn't turn up, he'd hire them permanently. I remember the excitement. I remember my mom baked my first real birthday cake.

"Then one day, these men came.You could tell they were pushers. They smelled like my mom and dad had before their job. Anyway...they started yelling...and mom...was crying." She made a small noise of surprise as Iori silently reached over and held her hand. She rubbed her eyes angrily.

"My dad hid me out on the fire escape and, I peeked in, curious and scared about why they were yelling. One of the guys pulled out a gun and shot my father's legs a couple of times. They didn't sell their last lot of dope." She laughed harshly. "They _burned_ it. Not even for themselves, just_ burned_ it one day into ashes. Their last step out of addiction.

"When the guys found out, they loaded my father with lead and shot my mom. They kept on shooting just to waste bullets. Their bodies were littered with holes. And I knew the guys that did it. They had often come over before and played with me. By the time the cops finally showed up,I had built up all these emotions, and the only one I understood was anger. It built up and up until there was this bloodthirsty rage in me. Whenever I feel grief, or horror, or fear, I lose control and rage, attacking anything near me. I bloodied up a police officer that night. I even attacked Motosawa when he came to get me. That day I cried adn you held me? I was trying not to lose myself and holding it back caused me _physical_ pain.

"I live with him now. And work in the restaraunt my parents worked in. It gives me that connection I need." She turned and looked up at Iori. "What do you think of me now?"

"You have lived through something I could never understand, or comprehend. You strike out instead of feeling the sadness you were too young to want to feel." He leaned down and cupped her cheek. "I'm just so glad your father hid you." he whispered.

They couldn't really remember what happened next, even years later. (No, not sex.)

V V V

"It's been two days! Where the hell is it?" Shizuko yelled frustrated.

"It takes time, Aizuka-san." Koushiro said shielding his eyes to look up the hill. Motoko was already cresting the top, holding Tsubaki's hand and laughing.

"Come on, Tsubaki! Look! Isn't it pretty?" Motoko's voice traveled down on the wind. Cubmon and Tentomon raced up.

"Please Miss Motoko! You are still weak from your coma! Be careful!" Tentomon said.

"Yeah, Moto! Slow down!" Cubmon agreed.

"Worrywarts, nothing's going to-eh?" Suddenly her foot slipped on the grass and she tumbling out of sight.

"MOTOKO!" they all shouted running up. Tsubaki merely looked down. They looked to the bottom to see Motoko on her back, her feet in the air over her head and her arms spread out. She blinked.

Koushiro hurried down the hill, tripped, and slid face first next to her.

"Hello." She grinned. Her legs dropped and she laughed, her green eyes closed and her head tilted back. Koushiro couldn't help but laugh, too, and everyone came sliding down the hill as he helped her to her feet.

"Motoko, you'll never change!" Yukina giggled.

"I don't want to!" she grinned racing away. Her arms spread out like wings. "One day I'll fly, too! Just watch!" She spun around, hair flying around her, mouth forming silent words.

"The kitten in the grass is the loneliest." Tsubaki whispered.

"She cries aloud for mother and milk, poor little kitty." Yukina joined softly. Motoko smiled. She grabbed Koushiro's hands.

"Come on and play, dance in the sunshine and enjoy the day." She sang, eyes laughing.

"Little kitten, don't be scared." the last joined.

"I love you always and forever little kitten." they all smiled as the song ended.

"You guys remembered my song!" Motoko exclaimed, still holding Koushiro's hands.

"Yeah, it was so stupid, we didn't have a chance of forgetting." Melina joked.

"That's so mean!" Motoko's eyes flooded, large and puppy-like.

"Do you and Daisuke get together and practice those eyes?" Melina demanded. They laughed.

"Hey, the geography's changing again." Iori said suddenly.

They looked past him and saw the soft hills were replaced by a deep gorge. They walked towards him and looked down the abrupt path, steep and covered in loose pebbles. Shizuko gulped and paled.

"No friggin way. Going _up_ is one thing. Going down _that_ is quite another. Not happening."

"Aizuka-san is right. That route is much too perilous for us, not to mention one with acrophobia and Motoko."

"I so can go down that. I'm not an invalid, Izumi." Motoko snapped, "Stop treating me like one."

"I'm not saying you're an invalid, Subaru. I'm saying your weaker than the rest of us because you were recently in a coma and your legs still don't function properly. May I remind you because of your own stupidity?" Koushiro snapped back.

"I wasn't being stupid! I wanted to do my duty as a Digidestined! I also wanted to be with you, seeing as you ditched me!"

"I did not ditch you! And I meant you running away from me! If you hadn't run away, you wouldn't have fainted and relapsed!"

"Eh...should we stop them?" Melina asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't think we should get within two feet of those two." Miyako said twitching slightly.

"Oh dear. We should be finding Shizuko's Crest or Touji, not fighting. This isn't good." Yukina muttered chewing her thumbnail.

The two finally stopped, out of breath, and glared at each other, red-faced and panting.

"Jerk."

"Ignoramus."

"Grrrr."

"I thought you were a genius?" He rose an eyebrow.

"Fine. I'm going down that _route_ myself." She stomped away and started down it.

"Wait, Motoko! It's dangerous!" Iori protested.

"Then find a way to fly us down there!" she shot overher shoulder. Everybody blinked.

"Duh." Miyako smacked her forehead.

"Why did something so simple not dawn on you humans?" Hawkmon asked. They all glared at him. "Okay! I'll just digivolve now!" Windommon lowered down after digivolving in the air where he'd have more wingspan. The air around the group was kicked up into wind from his huge wings. Motoko's eyes widened.

"EEEEE! Not again!" Motoko's arms pin wheeled and she fell backwards off the path.

"Windommon! Hurry!" Miyako cried.

Motoko felt the air whoosh around her, her hair streaming on either side of her face. A large shadow jumped from the cliff. Behind Windommon the sky was a startling blue, clouds marring the ocean of sky. Her eyes closed, and her body arched in the air as her head started lowering until her body was almost vertical.

_It feels so nice...falling...forever._

"Motoko! Grab my hand!" Miyako cried. Green eyes met hers.

"Sorry for the trouble!" Motoko shouted over the wind. Her hand reached and clasped Miyako's firmly. The wind stopped and her sense of freedom vanished. "I told you I'd find a way to fly." Motoko grinned.

"You're crazy!" Miyako accused.

"Yep." Miyako managed to help her onto Windommon's back. They reached the top of the gorge to meet Feathemon and Kabuterimon. Motoko's eyes widened. "Whoa..._big_ bug."

"Get on the big bug, please, Motoko." Koushiro held out his hand.

"Just because you said please. Thanks, Miyako."

"No problem. Come on up, Melina. Do you think you can carry Yukina, too?" Miyako asked Windommon.

"More than sure." his deep voice rumbled.

"We'll wait here!" Shizuko shouted.

"Maybe we should take you instead! You and Iori alone? I wouldn't be a very good friend if I allowed that!" Miyako teased.

"Oh, shove it, Inoue!" Shizuko snapped.

"Sorry, Koushiro." Motoko whispered. His arms were wrapped around her waist and they tightened.

"I'm sorry, too. But I was right. You fell didn't you?" He pointed out. She blinked and looked at him.

"You're mean." She pouted at him. He smiled and she grinned back. She snuggled against his chest and tucked her head under his chin. Her hand clasped the tag and crest beneath her tank top. "So, what's this big bug's name?"

"Please stop calling me bug!" grumbled Kabuerimon. "I'm Kabuterimon!"

She giggled behind her hand "Oh! Where's Cubmon?"

"He remained on the summit of the path with the other digimon. I'm going to retrieve him when you're at the base, _safely._" He added.

"All right." she sighed. She felt Kabuterimon land and bit back another sigh. She looked down to her left, then to her right. "How the hell do I get down?" she asked confused.

"Kabuterimon."

"Hm? EEK!" Large blue claws picked her up and set her down. She noticed the blue claws were connected to long arms, two out of four, with blades coming out of the elbows. "You're going to take some getting used, too. I'm not big on arthropods." Motoko smiled. "Especially big ones. But, heck, you're better than a spider."

"Okay..." Kabuterimon said slowly, a big sweatdrop on his head. He lifted off the ground making the dirt fly up.

"I'll be back with Cubmon!" Koushiro shouted down to her.

"Hey, Motoko, what's up? You're acting funny." Melina asked jogging up to her.

"I'm worried...what if he gives up on me again?" Motoko whispered.

"Then don't lie to him again, Motoko." Yukina said. Motoko clutched at her crest. Tsubaki touched her arm. Motoko looked at her, then up at Feathemon.

"You're beautiful." Motoko said reverently. Feathemon bowed slightly. "Tranquility, eh? What did I tell you, Tsubaki? 'As tranquil as the sky as strong as the wind.'" Motoko teased. Tsubaki just gave her a small smile.

"Oh, my!" Yukina said suddenly.

"What?" Melina demanded.

"Look!" Yukina pointed. A crest was carved into the gorge insides. It looked like a complicated mess of lines and shapes, different from theirs.

"What's wrong with it?" Melina asked. Alll four tilted their heads one way, than another.

Miyako landed and joined them. "What's wrong with it?" Her head tilted with theirs to the left. Soon, Shizuko and Iori walked up. All their heads tilted to the right.

"Is it supposed to look like that?" Shizuko inquired dubious. Koushiro walked up, looked at it, then at them.

"What are you doing?" He asked confused as their heads tilted to the left.

"There's something wrong with it!" Miyako snapped.

"They're not an 'it'.There aretwo of them entwined." Koushiro said.

"Really?" Yukina said. Their heads tilted again.

"Yes. Look, closer. Those lines are connected underneath those lines. And...those lines right there over lap the top symbol. They look confusing because they over lap in some places and don't in others."

"Oh." They said in unison.

"I see them." Motoko said chirpily.

"Does mean that Touji will be here soon?" Shizuko whispered.

"Yes. And so will Trapezemon, or should I say Piedmon?" Iori said wryly.

"I just wish I had your laptop, Koushiro. The progam is in it. I need to analyze it." Motoko sighed frustrated.

"How do I get my Crest?" Shizuko inquired.

"You don't have a tag, so there's no place for it to go. It seems your tag and crest form simultaneously at a time a personal conflict and outside calamity." Koushiro said, pensive. "I think we should wait for Piedmon and try out a theory of mine. Your wish may come true, Motoko."

"For a toothbrush?" Motoko asked preplexed.

"No...my laptop."

"Oh? Oh! Really?"

"Give me your D3." Koushiro ordered. Motoko handed it over and he flipped it open. "Hm...Taichi... that's right..." he typed in some letters.

"What about Taichi?"

"I'm sending a message to his cell. Yamato gave my laptop to Taichi the other night. Yamato has a busy schedule and was worried he wouldn't be able to give it back to me if we return soon."

"Oh. Okay...where's Taichi now?"

"Supposedly class...nope...he ditched again." He sighed when Taichi's reply popped up. "At least his laziness is put to good use today. He's on his way to retrieve it. How about we rest and have a quick lunch?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry!" Armadillomon complained. The other digimon agreed.

"We won't be ofmuch use if we don't eat, Izzy. So, let's dig in!" Tentomon announced.

"Izzy?"

"Hm?" Koushiro looked up to meet Motoko's questioning gaze. He settled back, chewing on a handful of Yokomon food. "I was called Izzy when I was a child. Tentomon refuses to call me anything else."

"Hmm, Izzy..." Motoko chewed thoughtfully. She swallowed and nodded once. "I like it." She smiled at him. "May I call you Izzy?" He blinked.

"I guess..."

"Then give me a nickname. Cubmon calls me Moto, but you can make up something else."

"Uh..." he blushed faintly. "Motoko just fine... I like your name." She blushed happily.

"Really? I like Koushiro, but Izzy is so cute, I can't help it." She smiled.

BEEP! BEEP!

Everyone huddled around the couple.

"Hi Taichi, you have it?" Koushiro asked opening the D3.

"Y-yeah. H-hi, Motoko."

"Hi-hiya!" Motoko smiled with a little wave.

... Awkward silence.

"The laptop, Taichi."

"I'm on it." Taihci said, hiding relief.

"Get off of it. You can't transmit it to me when you're using it." Koushiro said tightly.

"Oh, right. Just a second." He left the screen, and the tension almost visibly broke. The screen blacked out. Then Taichi's face appeared, his eyes looking somewhere to his left. "Okay, did I it do it?"

"Yes."

"So, what do I do now?"He asked, eyes resting once more on the screen

"You see that strange cord I made?"

"The one that looks like it's connected to two floppy disks?"

"Yes. Put each end in the A drive."

"The what drive?" Koushrio's eyebrow ticked.

"This is going to take awhile. Why don't you all search for some water for Kudo-san's Finmon?"

"Okay. Good idea, Koushiro-san." Iori agreed.

"I'll stay. Maybe I can help. I'm just as smart as you, only with a much easier vocabulary."

"Yeah, I totally understand her!" Taichi said slightly desperate. Motoko giggled.

"Fine." Koushiro sighed.

"Did you guys feel that?" Melina shivered.

"Yeah, you could cut that with a knife and eat it." Miyako agreed.

"I guess the four of them still aren't over that kiss..." Shizuko said watching as Tsubaki also stayed without a word.

"I think Taichi and Motoko didn't tell us everything..." Yukina worried her bottom lip.

"It's their business. They made their choice and didn't choose each other." Iori softly, his own eyes meditative.

"Oh, wow! YAY! You did it, Koushiro!" Motoko wrapped her arms around his shoulders as a yellow Pinapple appeared in his lap.

"Awesome! But I did a lot, too!" Taichi pouted.

"You're kind of in a different dimension, Taichi. I can't hug you." Motoko pointing out wryly.

"Right." Taichi chuckled, a hand behind his head.

"Good job, plebian." Motoko winked.

"Thanks. What does plebian mean?"

"It means you're a kulak."

"Ooo, I like that one, Kou-kun. Kulak..." she giggled.

"Wha?" Taichi gazed at them baffled.

Suddenly, the whole gorge began to shake. The three on the ground looked up.

"Run, Tsubaki!" Motoko shouted pushing her away. "Go! Both of you!"

"Motoko! Grab my hand!" Koushiro shouted. She looked up at him, green eyes wide and fearful.

"My legs aren't workng." She whispered. Koushiro quickly tossed away his laptop and her D3. He grabbed her and tried to lift her, but found he couldn't anymore.

"I can't!"

"Run, damn it!" Motoko screamed.

"MOTO!" Leomon roared. Koushiro fell to his knees, covering her head with his upper body and they closed their eyes holding back screams.

"Four-Winged Typhoon!" The rocks sliding down the gorge wall were slashed into pieces, falling around Koushro and Motoko like dirt.

She looked up and met Koushiro's panicked gaze.

"Why did you do that?" she whispered.

"I love you..." he whispered, calming.

"I thought...I thought it didn't exist..." she smiled weakly. He brushed dirt off her head.

"Of course it does. Why else would I punch my best friend?" She blinked.

"K-Koushiro...no, Izzy..." she stopped suddenly. Her body convulsed and her pupils shrank to pinpoints. Her fingers dug into her temples as her palms pressed against her ears. Laughter was echoing around them eerily.

"It's...it's him." Koushiro whispered, blanching.

"Finally you show you face! Come down and get whipped!" Shizuko shouted to the top of the canyon.

"You don't even have your Crest yet. I wouldn't talk so big if I were you."

"Neither does Touji." Melina snapped.

"It's just beyond my grasp. A few moments and my partner will achieve greater heights than even MagnaAngemon." Touji announced walking towards him. His ocean-green eyes gazed at them lifelessly.

_He's not evil, you realize? He's just a puppet. One swift cut and the strings connecting him to Piedmon will be broken. Are you sure Hida is the one you want? _A little voice whispered in her head.

"Okay, everyone, it's time to defeat this monster once and for all!" Iori exclaimed. All the digimon digivolved, but Tentomon. Koushiro had told him no.

_Of course he is. You don't even know him-THAT DOESN"T MATTER! He makes me safe. I haven't felt this way since..._Her eyes widened.

"Trump Swords!"

"Desert Scorcher!"

"Rampant Waters!"

_Since when? Since...my fourth birthday..._

>Flashback

"Look, Shizu, your own cake. See, candles. You remember what to do, right?" asked a young woman's voice from a blurred face.

Shizuko nodded vigorously, her black eyes shining.

"Wait, I have the Camcorder boss let us borrow. Okay, wish Shizu-chan." said the young man.

"I wishIget a cake every birthday." Shizuko said ferverntly, her eyes squeezed shut.

"Oh, honey, you don't say it out loud!" laughed the woman.

>End

"Silent Stars!" hissed Ninjamon, throwing small throwing stars.

"Four Winged Typhoon!"

Laughter echoed in the air as he swept them away. Piedmon looked down at the redhead, too focused on her thoughts to really fight. _Good..._

_'He just pops out of nowhere and you tell him things you don't even tell your friends? Does he give you anything back? What do you know about him?'_

"Howling Scales!" Piedmon threw Trump swords at the attack.

"Fist of the Bea-RRAARR!"

"Leomon!" Swords surrounded Motoko and still unable to stand, theycut her off from Leomon.

"That's it! DIGIVOLVE!" Koushiro screamed. His digivice vibrated and MegaKabuterimon joined the fight.

"You aren't suppose to be here!" Piedmon cried shocked.

"Well, I am. Don't you even try coming near Motoko." Koushiro shouted, standing in front of her, swords gleaming in front of him. Piedmon's eyes narrowed.

"I don't have to be near to separate you. Trumps Swords!" He blasted lightning fast blades at them, making the earth crack.

"Izzy...!"

"Motoko!" Their hands reached and just barely missed each other.

Motoko was thrown away, the laptop spiraling after her. She pushed herself up, vainly trying to rise onto her feet. Sweat dropped from her face onto the dust.She screamed as laughter tore into her mind.

_What do I know about him? 'Nothing nothing at all. And yet he knows you painful past, your fear, your secret shame, everything.'AndI know nothing...no! No, I _do_ know something!_

Her eyes began to glow red.

The crests on the rockside began to glow. One shined onto Touji, a blazing black color. Piedmon cackle sent shivers down everyone's spin.

"Finally, my plan has begun. Don't you see it? Look at your precious computer, little toy. Do you see what I see?"

Motoko snatched the laptop and opened it. Her eyes widened.

"You...you can't mean...No...I didn't create this!" she whispered hoarsely. Suddenly, he was there, next to her, fingers in her hair, his voice thrumming in her head.

"Yes, you did. You created everyone's doom, genius. You gave a puppet the power his puppteer needed to merge two worlds into one. His Crest is made by the fractal code being downloaded into your special program. Are you proud of what you created?"

"STOP IT!"

_STOP IT! SHUT UP! HE LOVES ME! THAT'S ALL I NEED TO KNOW!_

"Ten..." Shiuzko whispered. Melina looked towrds her wide-eyed. The last Crest flashed and dulled.

"Look, even you friend is counting down to your demise."

"Oh my god! What is that!" Miyako screamed.

Everyone looked up to see a shadow of Odaiba. Shadow people looked around them confused and scared, some screaming and scrambling away.

"The two worlds are merging...because of me..." On the laptop, the Human World and the Digital World were slowly forming a Venn Diagram, the ends of the two worlds touching.

"Nine... Eight..."

Melina screamed as the ground began to fall apart.

"Miraculous Punch!" WereChamelemon destroyed the falling boulders and grabbed his partner quickly.

"Seven...Six..."

Touji stood completely still, his eyes dead.

Koushiro ran towards Motoko, his black eyes flaming. MegaKabuterimon flew up behind him and he lept, grabbing the lowered horn, his feet leaving the ground as they zoomed over it.

"Don't you touch her!" Koushiro shouted. Piedmon turned to see a foot colliding with his face at lightspeed. Koushiro fell onto the ground, his face twisted in pain. Piedmon skidded back a few feet, his face red with a footprint.

"Izzy!"

"My ankle...I think I broke it..." Koushrio muttered, grabbing the object of pain.

"Horn Buster!"

"Five...Four..." The Crest began to glow and get brighter. Shizuko's eyes flamed ruby.

"Baton Bludgeon!" Feathemon quickly smacked aside large falling debris, making it shatter like glass. "We need help!"

"Three...Two..."

"You asked for it." Tsubaki whispered.

"OONNEEE!" Shizuko screamed as the Crest hit her chest, the light flaring around her body like a spiritual aura. Her head tilted back and she screamed as if pain. The Crest burned into her chest, a blood red color.

"Ninjamon digivolve to... Karatenwomon!" The Karatenmon alternate had a black beak and four large black wings. Two swords were sheated at her hip. Her feet had two taloned toes. She wore metal shin-guards and wrist-guards. Her body was more feminine then the male, but was clothed inan outfitsimiliar, and covered in black feathers.

"Karatenwomon, Master of Rage!" Karatenwomon cried. She disappeard and appeared in front of Piedmon. "Prepare to meet your end! Double Blade Swords!" Piedmon was hurtled back into the gorge wall.

Odaiba residents screamed. Soon, they saw the Digidestined on the other side.

"What the hell is going on?" Taichi hollered throwing himself at the barrier. He cried out in pain as lightning ran through his body.

"TAICHI!" Tsubaki screamed, her red eye wide. "DO SOMETHING NOW!" Tsubaki hurled at Feathemon.

"I-I can't." The Butterfly Rod hit the ground softly.

"Yes, you can! Help me take this vermin down!" Shizuko yelled. Her red eyes seared into Piedmon's. "Let's do it!"

"Double Blade Swords!"

"Howling Scales!"

"Rampant Waters!"

"Four Winged Typhoon!"

"Desert Scorcher!"

"Fist of the Beast King!"

"Horn Buster!"

Suddenly, the Human World began to recede. The Crest glowing on Touji's breast flickered and then died.

"The Crest of Brutality..." Koushiro murmured looking at Motoko's digvice. Their eyes met.

"We did it!" Miyako cried. All the digimon de-digivolved to Rookie, exhausted, besides Leomon, who managed to stay in Champion.

"You may have stopped my plans of combining the two worlds and destorying them both, but I'm not out completely. I'll at least kill you, too!" Piedmon spat out desperately. "Trump SWORDS!" Everyone screamed, throwing their arms up to cover their eyes. Miyako lowered her armand 'urk'ed, seeing the Sword right in front of her knees.

"He's really going to kill us!" Miykao exclaimed. He grinned ruthlessly.

Shizuko slowly calmed down, the red haze ebbing from her vision. She swooned and began to fall, the Crest now glowing faintly on a tag and necklace. Iori rushed forward and caught her. Piemon spun towards them.

"I'll start with the one who destroyed my dream! Trump-"

"Fist of the Beast King!" The attack pushed him back enough to divert his attention.

"One still standing? Oh...you..." He threw his head back, laughing as Leomon's chest heaved.

"Why isn't Leomon digivolving?" Melina shouted.

"I-I don't know." Motoko whispered, her clutching the dead Crest.

"Yes, you do, partner." Leomon panted. "You'll never find your oblivion hiding behind your mask. Be honest."

"B-but-"

"With yourself, Moto." She gasped, her eyes widening.

"It's not the same being honest with everyone else. It's _my _Crest, I have to be honest with _me._" She pushed herself slowly to her feet, her legs shaking.

"But you already have your Crest. Haven't you already been honest?" Koushiro asked, still sitting, clutching his ankle.

"No...not completely. I'm still confused. Shouldn'tI be with Taichi?Shouldn't I love him?"

"What?" Koushiro breathed.

"Motoko?" Tsubaki whispered. Motoko smiled.

"I promised myself I would be with the one who saw through my mask and tried his damnest to help me."

"And Taichi was the one who did."

"That's what I thought. But I didn't find oblivion. I found it with you. I've been fighting a battle within my heart. I know if I choose him, I'll break my heart because he loves Tsubaki completely. I feel sick and guilty when I remember that day we kissed. We came so close to oblivion, and you shattered with just one look. He obviously couldn't be my oblivion. But...you didn't see through my mask." She added desperately, her head shaking as tears flew from her face.

Her Crest flared through her fingers and she was flown backwards into the side of the gorge.

"You call this being honest? Your body is dying because your Crest is rejecting you. I should just end your misery now." Piedmon sneered. He rose his hand. A form flung himself at Piedmon. Everyone gasped seeing Touji holding him down.

"TELL THE TRUTH, MOTOKO!" Touji roared, pain lacing his voice. She clutched her Crest, panting, surprisingly on her feet.

"I...I want it to be Taichi!" She screamed.

"Wh-why?" Yukina gasped.

"I want my heart broken! I'm so scared! I'm scared now that I have my oblivion that I have to give him _everything_, not only my heart. That's what lovers do! They hold nothing back. They share everything!" She sobbed into her hands, her Crest against her mouth. "I was used like a toy and tossed aside, found unworthy. I don't want him to see that! I don't want Koushiro to see the scared little girl who was found wanting! I don't want him to take what Touji did...but at the same time I do. I want everything I can grab!"

She fell to her knees and faced the wide-eyed Koushiro. She slowly rose her eyes to meet his.

"My mother walked out on my father and me because she wanted better, my father blamed me, and even though I loved him so much, I could never make him see it. I replaced him with boys trying to love _them_ and failed. I finally found Touji and he didn't love me. I was used by a _puppet_ and raped. Every trial I went through, I was found unworthy and used and tossed like trash. I'm scared of physical intimacy because that means I'm completely naked inside and out. But...I still love you like an obsession. No matter what you say, I will. I want your oblivion, I want _you_." She smiled a smile full of pain and every ounce of hope.

A purplish-blue light erupted from her Crest. She grabbed the Pineapple and rose. Leomon digivolved to Pumamon and she jumped on.

"Go, Pumamon!" She commanded. "It's time to end this." she whispered.

Pumamon lept at Piedmon with a feral cry of 'Feline Ambush' and she slid off before impact, rolling away. She pushed up onto her hands, the laptop sinking into the ground slightly.

"Touji!" He turned, his face bloody and dead. She opened the laptop. "It's your turn! Be the Touji you really are. Be the Touji who loved Shizuko, who was kind. Be the Touji_ I_ loved. End the evil we were both puppets to!"

"NO!" Piedmon screeched.

"Just push this button. Only you can...Digidestined." Motoko smiled, tears still falling freely.

Touji rose and reached slowly.

"I won't let you!" Piedmon ran towards them. Feathemon appeared, the only one who hadn't given her final attack.

"And I won't let you." she smiled wickedly. "Angel Touch." she whispered, just as Touji hit the button.

Motoko's eyes widened as the Crest shattered on Touji's chest. A blinding white light washed over the battlefield, met with Piedmon screams. Touji's purified Crest lending Feathemon the power needed not to feel the pain of purifying another.

The laptopdropped and Touji fell into Motoko's arms.

"I'm so sorry, for everything!" Touji bawled.

"Sh, sh, it's okay, Touji-kun. I forgive you, sh." He fell asleep cradled in her arms, her Crest glowing around him.

Her own eyes began to droop and she began to fall. Arm wrapped around her and more arms pulled Touji away. She smiled sadly.

"Izzy-kun..." she fainted.

V V V

Melina, Shizuko, Yukina, Tsubaki and Motoko slowly opened their eyes. They were lying all over Motoko's room. They looked up as Sae entered.

"Hello girls. Ready for dinner?" The girls'eyes met.

"Yes, grandma." Motoko said. Sae left.

"Just like last time...this is where we when we first went to the Digital World two weeks ago."

"Time must've stopped while ours kept going..." Yukina said slowly.

"Or time was reversed." Motoko murmured. They all looked down and sighed in relief seeing the Crests.

"Thank god. I was thinking it was all a crazy dream." Shizuko whispered.

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

They grabbed at their D3 and began to cry seeing the familiar huddle of anxious faces at Koushiro's computer.

"We ran straight here from the set!" Miyako gasped.

"I thought it was all a dream for a minute." Iori admitted.

They began to cry harder. The others joining in, laughing and bawling all at once.

V V V

The italics in the story was obviously Shizuko thinking. the part with sorrounded it was another little voice in her head. Iori is this story is sixteen. I didn't know he was two years younger than Miyako until just after I started this story. I just thought he was short. Hel_lo_, Izzy. Anyway, I decided to keep him sixteen becuase I was too lazy to fix it. Plus the fact it has been in Mississippi until about two weeks ago. I forgot it in my dad's truck. You all read my first disclaimer, right? I started this over the summer at my dad's. BYE BYE! Last chapter! YAY!


	11. Always and Forever, Little Kitten

Chapter Eleven

Always and Forever Little Kitten

> Two Weeks Later >

"I'm so excited." Yukina whispered, brown eyes dancing.

"It's been two weeks since we've seen any of them...what if they don't feel the same?" Melina said, just as quiet.

"Melina, remember your Crest. Plus, we've been emailing all of them constantly." Shizuko rolled her eyes.

"Motoko's here." Tsubaki interjected.

"About time! She's always late!" Melina complained.

"It's not my fault! Koushiro and I almost had a breakthrough...it was a dead-end...DAMN!"

"You realize your research is going to take you all your life? This is the Digital _World_ we're talking about." Shizuko reminded her with a raised eyebrow.

"Then he'll never leave me." Motoko smiled softly.

After leaving the Digital World, the girls had found themselves back in Tokyo. Luckily, they got to keep their D3's. They frequently corresponded via email with the other Digidestined, but, finally, they were about the meet face to face, for the other girls, for the first time.

The one who really changed was Motoko. Though Tsubaki did look up and spoke a lot more, she still remained soft-spoken and mainly silent, her eyes lowered by sheer habit. Motoko wasn't the boy-crazy idiot they all used to know. She practically ignored boys and didn't do any clubs but Computer Club. She actually had to buy glasses because she stayed glued to the computer and read in the dark, too absorbed to turn on the light, or realize it was dark. She started throwing herself in her schoolwork, baffling her teachers, who were used to her missing assignments, or turning them in late, too preoccupied in boys to actually apply her intelligence. She managed to complete two courses within the two weeks she had been back. She was trying to graduate early so she and Koushiro could go to college together, or at least a year or so apart. Taichi often joked she soon would be spouting off four syllable words when she could use two-syllables, like Koushiro. She didn't force herself to be happy, either, and seemed rather sad a lot.

"Is...Touji coming?" Motoko asked hesitantly.

"Yes." Shizuko answered. "I think it'll be good for him." The girls nodded.

Touji went to a center for abusive teens, a rehab, kind of. He didn't like how violent he had become and put himself in. They hadn't seen him since, but he emailed Yamato, though.

"Let's get ready to boogey!" Melina said breaking the stiffened silence.

"That's right. It's time to celebrate." Motoko grinned.

They were all on thier way to a Teenage Wolves concert, starring in Toyko. Shizuko wore a black tank top with a long-sleeve mesh dark-red top. She wore long black pants with a silver-studded black belt. Her hair was pulled into a high pony-tail, her eyes shadowed light red. She also wore black boots with skull-and-cross bones snapping the straps over her feet.

Melina wore a loose blue skirt with a white long-sleeved loose shirt. A lavendar vest was fitted over it. She wore see-through blue sandals with clear heels, with tiny siler buckles at the side of her ankle, and her toes painted shiny lavendar. Her chin-length strawberry hair had barrettes holding back her hair.

Tsubaki wore faded blue-jeans, white sneakers with faded red laces, and a pink T-shirt. Over it she wore a green blazer Taichi had sent through mail. It hung over her fingers and reached her knees. It succeeded it only maker her cuter. She had braided her long blonde hair.

Motoko wore loose, dark blue jeans, low on her hips. She wore a thick green belt and a long-sleeved forest-green top, the cuffs rolled up. She also had on a loose Slytherin tie, much to her friends' amusement. She seemed to like anything Western Hemisphere. She let her hair down, as usual, and it often hid her eyes. She wore scuffed up, high-top Converses.

"I can't wait to see Iori again." Shziuko admitted blushing as they walked out her apartment door.

"It's been _so_ long since you've seen him. He might have even grown a few centimeters!" Melina gushed tautingly.

"SHUT UP!"

"Fight already, girls? I see things haven't changed that much." Taichi waved. He wore loose black jeans and a baggy blue shirt with a soccer jersey design in yellow, his favorite. His pants fell over old running shoes.

Tsubaki ran and flung herself at him.

"OOF! HEY!" Taichi gasped. "I think you broke my ribs, Tsu-chan." Tsubaki tightened her hold, let go, took a step back and glared at him.

"Wh-what'd I do?" SMACK!

"That was for when you and Motoko kissed a long time ago. Now, you're forgiven." Tsubaki kissed his red cheek, and hugged him again, a smile making her pale face glow. Taichi blinked and held her tight.

"Okay. Good."

"No fair. She gets to cuddle with her guy first." Melina pouted. Another door opened and Jyou stepped out, tripping as he tried to keep a horrendous amount oftrash inside. He wore cotton pants that fit, but didn't really show off anything, and a long-sleeved, buttoned-up shirt with a loose blue tie. Obviously, his college clothes. His nice shoes, barely scuffed, gave it away.

"Just stay in there!" Jyou cried vainly. Yukina and then ran towards him.

"JYOU!" She tackled him around the waist and his head hit the roof of the car. Papers slid out and Jyou's glasses almost fell off.

"Ow!" Jyou muttered. Everyone laughed as Yukina quickly dropped down and started grabbing frantically at flying papers. Jyou grabbed her hand. "It's okay, they can wait a minute." Yukina looked up at him, her face tomato-red.

"I-I'm sorry!" Yukina stuttered. Jyou smiled, one hand rubbing the bump on the back of his head.

"No problem. I've seen much worse, and I'm still a med _student_." Jyou joked. Yukina flung her arms around him.

"I've been waiting forever!" Yukina exclaimed, her nose buried in Jyou's buttoned shirt.

"And so have I! I WANNA MEET DAI-CHAN!" Melina whined. Tears started swimming in her eyes.

"Let's go!" Motoko suggested, a large grin on her face. She immediately became animated and chased after stray papers with the others. Shizuko and Tsubaki noticed the careful way Taichi and Motoko avoided each other.

By the time all the papers were collected, everyone was red-faced and laughing. They piled in Taichi's car and argued loudly over the radio station.

"We're going to get pulled over if you all keep bouncing around like this!" Jyou said nervously.

"Oh, stop being a worry-wart!" Motoko giggled.

Tsubaki and Shizuko eyes met. _She's acting like old Motoko again. What's she hiding behind the mask?_ Their eyes asked each other. Tsubaki looked over at Taichi, as did Shizuko. His shoulders seemed tight. Their eyes met again. _What are _they_ hiding?_

"We're here." Taichi announced.

"YES!" Melina scrambled over Motoko's lap and opened the door. She fell out the door and landed hard on the cement, her lower body still on Motoko's lap. "OW! OW OW!"

They heard loud laughter and Melina looked up as the others looked over her butt.

"H-hi everybody." Melina sputtered, her face flaming. Digidestined all laughed.

"Need a hand, Faith?" Daisuke asked, tears in the corner of his eyes. He was wearing a dark orange T-shirtand dark pants, a little too low on his hips, showing off the top of blue and green plaid boxers. The infamous goggles still adorned his fuzzy head. He wore the same old running shoes as Taichi...a soccer thing...

"That would be nice, Miracles." Melina muttered. He held out his hand and hoisted her up quickly. Their eyes met and sparks were _seen_. Everyone blinked as Melina and Daisuke were suddenly engaged in tonsil hockey.

"Um, okay..." Motoko tried to push herself out and cursed realizing her seatbelt was still on. Everybody laughed again as she struggled valiently with the plastic and metal contraption.

"H-here." Taichi choked out bending down to help. "It's broken." Their faces were already red from laughing, for Motoko irritation also, and they noticably flamed redder.

"Th-thanks." Motoko muttered. She stumbled out the door as Taichi pulled away. She tugged her hair and looked away, the air clearly tense btween them.

"Motoko?" She visibly relaxed and turned.

"Izzy-kun!" She hugged him tight, his face turning blue. "I've missed you."

"We were just having a conversation online less than an hour ago." Koushiro pointed out breathlessly.

"That _so_ doesn't count." Motoko pouted. His face was slowly turning blue

"He can't breathe, Motoko-chan!" Sora laughed.

Shizuko and Tsubaki crawled out of the car and Jyou helped Yukina out of the front of the car were she squeezed in between him and Taichi. Shizuko's black eyes swept over the faces and met Iori's.

"Konban wa, Shizuko." He wore normal fitting jeans, a dark-tan T-shirt, and well-kept tennis shoes.

"Konban wa." She kissed his lips softly, bending over slightly. Iori blushed as Miyako nudged his ribs.

"OH MY GOSH! I've missed you!" Miyako cried. They all seemed toconverge at one time and hug in a large huddle. Miyako wore khaki knee-length shorts, and an yellow elbow-sleeved shirt. A Happy-Bunny told everybody "You suck and that's sad" from her chest. On her feet were white socks and blue sneakers, her hair was in a loose ponytail. Miyako's glasses were knocked askew. (Motoko had put them in their case and were residing in her pocket...poor things.)

"So this is Ichijouji, Ken?" Yukina asked.

"Konban wa." Ken bowed quickly, slightly blushing under Melina and Motoko's stares. Ken had on black pants and white tank top with a short-sleeved blue shirt over it, a silver dragon on the back. He had black Converses.

"We're missing Touji." Motoko said suddenly.

"Where is he?" Shizuko asked, her eyes searching the group again.

Sora wore light jeans, a thin belt, and a tank top with a heart on it. Mimi short a short skirt, a spaghetti strap pink shirt that matched her hair, andshort-heeled leather boots. Hikari wore a pinkshort-sleeved dress with a long-sleeved, white, button sweater, and the top button done. A camera was hanging around her neck. She had a pink headband on and white sandals.

"He's backstage with Yamato and Takeru." Kari said quickly.

Motoko looked at Koushiro, startled as his grip tightened. She smiled softly. She kissed his lips and met his eyes.

"It wasn't his fault, Izzy-kun." she whispered. His eyes softened at her smile, mask-free.

"It's going to start without us!" Mimi said suddenly.

"YES! My first concert! Awesome!" Melina cheered.

"I can't believe you still have breath." Shizuko said sarcastically.

"JERK!" Shizuko's eyes spun as Melina stomped away, leaving a large bumpon Shizuko's head.

"Wait up, Mel-chan!" Daisuke chased after her and everyone followed.

Motoko blushed vivdly as she and Taichi bumped against each other and were forced through the crowd pressed against each other. They gasped and pushed away from each other, panting, as they got to the opening in front of the stage.

"What's wrong with you two?" snapped Shizuko.

Motoko and Taichi's eyes finally met and they looked away, still red. Motoko looked down and pressed her index fingers together. Taichi looked up at the stage, hands clasped behind his head.

"Um...well...I kinda..."

"Yeah...it's nothing really..." They looked at each other again.

"You, too?"

"Yeah." Taichi nodded, hands dropping.

"Oh good."

"What are you talking about?" Koushiro asked, his eyes hardening. Taichi gulped.

"Well...ya see...um..." Taichi trailed off. They took a deep breath and spoke at the same time.

"Thekisswasreallynice." They forced out. Suddenly, they stopped blushing.

"That feels so much better!" Motoko laughed relieved.

"Yeah, feels like a weight went off my chest."

"Friends?" she held out her hand.

"Of course." They shook and hugged briefly.

Koushiro's mouth moved uselessly and Tsubaki looked from one to the other.

"That's it?" Tsubaki asked.

"Yeah. I kinda didn't want to say anything, it was so weird. I felt really guilty about it, too." Taichi admitted.

"Me, too. I thought it was only one-sided, too. I was the desperate one, ya know? I'm glad we said it out loud. Now, I think it was kinda wrong... I don't really like you that way." She tilted her head looking up at him.

"Same here. You're like my second sister. Koushiro and I are too tight for that kinda thing."

"You _liked_ kissing Taichi?" Koushiro finally fought out.

"We are so past that." Motoko said confused.

Her eyes widened as he grabbed hertie and tugged her to him. Their lips collided as Yamato struck the first chord. Her eyes closed and she sunk against him, heart thrumming louder than the guitar.

"And you thought me and Daisuke were bad?" Melina gestured with her head. Shiuzko turned and saw Koushiro and Motoko gripping each other's shirtsleeves, almost melded against each other like Play-do figures.

"Wow..." Daisuke whistled. "I thought he was just a nerd."

They all laughed as Motoko flipped him off over Koushiro's shoulder without opening her eyes or stopping. They parted for breath, promptly blushing vividly as their eyes met. Her eyes caught movement from her peripheral vision and turned. She stiffened, and quickly shook her head. Koushiro turned and his grip reflexively tightened.

"Hi, Touji." Motoko shouted over the music. He gave her a small smile and stayed near Takeru. He wore black jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt with 'Teenage Wolves' printed on the front in silver. He wore regular black and white tennis shoes. He had grown out his hair to its normal shade of dark brown. Takeru wore the same shirt, only a T-shirt. He had onbaggy, blue jean shorts, and blue and white sneakers. He wore his Gilligan hat.

"Hey, guys!" Takeru shouted. His hand and Kari's automatically met and held. "Hey, Kari." He kissed her quickly. "You guys recognize Yamato's outfit?" He yelled.

They automatically looked up. The Toyko girls, besides Melina, and the _original_ Digidestined's eyes widened in surprise. He wore the same outfit from summer campeight years ago, only...not small. The only things missing were the brown gloves. He looked down at them and grinned with a wink.

All of the Digidestined hollered until their throats grew hoarse and they danced without shame or self-consciousness. Tsubaki looked up and Taichi's honey-brown eyes danced close in his arms. She quickly looked down, and leaned against his chest, too short for looking in his eyes to be comfortable.

"Are you okay?" Koushiro whispered in her ear. Motoko looked at him surprised.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You reacted when you caught sight of Miyazawa." He said. Motoko looked down and then up.

"I meant what I said back in the Digital World. Just because he was a puppet doesn't make it less traumatizing. I may be able to get close...but I'm ready to go much farther than this." she looked up worried. He blushed, but smiled.

"You're fifteen, it's against the law, Subaru." Koushiro said, eyeborw rising. Her eyes widened.

"You-you jerk! I just-" His finger fell over her mouth.

"I don't really care anyway. If you're not ready, you're not. Sex isn't love."

"So...you'll wait for me to catch up?" she whispered. He smiled, nodding. He leaned close to her ear.

"Always and forever, little kitten." he whispered, his arms around her waist. She buried her face in his shoulder, smiling widely.

"Thank you." She whispered. "Aishiteru."

"Aishiteru."

* * *

Seven Years Later

"It's for you, Doctor." Green eyes looked up. The woman huffed, making hair fly up in the air.

"I'm coming...damn it." She rose unsteadily, pushing her roller-chair from under her. She walked out from behind the partition. She wore a long, white labcoat andgrayhigh heels. A gray skirt with a light green shirt was underneath the coat. "Is this even worth my time?"

"It's Dr. Izumi, Dr. Subaru." the intern said, amused at her young boss, younger than herself.

"Really?" Her dark green eyes lit up. She dived for the phone. "Hullo, love."

"Konban wa, Motoko." said the amused voice on the other line.

"It's evening?" she asked amazed.

"Yes, you were off work two hours ago. You forgot again, didn't you?"

"You shouldn't talk. You stayed a whole twenty four hours in your little cubicle." Motoko snapped, her own tone laughing.

"Yes, but not on an important day like to-"

"AHHH! I'll be right home!" She slammed the phone down and raced towards her desk. She grabbed her briefcase, jammed a peanut butter covered oatmeal cookie in her mouth, and ran towards the time clock.

"I warned you, ma'am." Ms. Hiroshi said.

"Mmmph! Mphmm mm!" Motoko yelled from behind her cookie, smearing peanut butter on her upper lip.

"Of course, Dr. Subaru." Ms. Hiroshi giggled

Motoko raced down the hall, her coat flapping around her heels.

"Konban wa, Dr. Subaru. Don't worry, keep running." waved Dr. Kido, Jyou's brother. She waved behind her.

She pushed open a door and checked her watch, hurrying down the walk outside the small building. She rolled her eyes and took a step towards a convient pole.

"Don't, Toko, you'll make us later." A hand grabbed her arm and veered her away from the pole she was about to bang her head against in exasperation. She smiled arond her cookie at her fiancée. He pushed her into the car. "What the hell is in your mouth?" he asked getting in the other side.

"Mpphm-" She grabbed it, taking a bite. She swallowed. "An oatmeal raisin cookie covered in peanut butter. Creamy, peanut butter." She added eyeing it closely.

"Why?" he asked.

"It sounded good. Tastes good, too, surpisingly." she added taking another bite with relish. She almost moanedwith bliss. "Want some?" He rose an eyebrow.

"What is wrong with you? And, no." He reached over wiped off the peanut butter from her mouth.

"That's _my_ peanut butter."

"And it's all over you-" he stopped as she licked it off quickly.

"Don't take my food. Don't you remember that time you tried to steal my chocolate? Big no-no." She sat back and started to take another bite. She turned absentmindedlyas he leaned over. Her eyes widened, and then closed as he once again took her by surprise and kissed her.

"I love you, Toko." he said, a blush covering his nose.

"I know." she smiled at him brightly. "I love you, too. Let's go."

V V V

"Wow...they're all already here." she said surprised.

"We _are_ an thirty minutes late." he pointed out. She huffed.

"Motoko!" She glanced up surprised as she stepped out of the car.

"Melina? I thought you and Dai-chan we going to just going to be here via D3."

"We caught a jet-"

"She means she waved the dough and chartered a private jet...again." Daisuke said walking up behind her. Melina stuck her tongue out at him.

"Duh. What's the use of having money and not using it, noddle-man?"

"You evolved from goggle-boy to noodle-man. Which do you prefer?" Koushiro laughed.

"Ungh." Daisuke groaned.

They stepped inside the large house.

"Oh, good, the last people have arrived." Mimi said. "Come on!" She led them through her large mansion. "Michael and I just finished the repairs to the kitchen. I can't believe he saved that until last! I _live_ in the kitchen!"

"You also live off of it, Miss T.V.-cooking-show-star." Michael said carrying a two-year-old boy.

"Oh, Jeffrey, did you wake up from your nap?" Mimi cooed taking him. Motoko sighed wistfully. Koushiro turned sharply, but Motoko was talking animately with Daisuke about whether noodles or pizza were better.

"Hey, guys!" Taichi waved. He quickly bent down to help a very pregnant Tsubaki up.

"Hey, lover, miss me?" Motoko joked. They kissed quickly and she hugged Tsubaki. "How's it going, preggo?"

"Preggo is rude." Tsubaki said simply. Motoko's eyes glimmered.

"Promise to call me it one day?" she asked.

"What are-" Koushiro was cut off as Miyako jumped on Motoko.

"I missed you, chick! Meet my first, Emiko." She pulled Ken over who was holding a sleeping baby.

"She's adorable! She has your nose." Motoko eyes got all starry. Sora's eyes narrowed in thought.

"Hi, you two. Say hi to Motoko and Miyako, Yuuki." she told her three-year-old.

"Hi."

"Oh, little boys are so cute. I hope-" she cut off abruptly and grinned. "Hi Zuko-chan."

"Tormenting children? Really, Subaru." Shizuko smiled.

"Tormenting your fiancée? Really, Aizuka." Motoko shot back. They hugged.

"She's not tormenting me...much." Iori joked. "Just about invitations, our house, our future children, fianances, a swimming pool, a pet, a new toothbrush..."

"Iori!" Shizuko smacked him lightly.

"Wow, you taught him your sarcasm." Melina joked joining them. "Wine, anybody?"

"Nope, can't!" Motoko said cheerfully.

"You mean I bought all that alcohol and you're not even going to help me drink it?" Taichi joked.

"Sorry, not this time, Taichi." Motoko smiled.

"You usually down it like water. I thought you'd take on Taichi for another competition just to see him sloshed like New Years." Yamato added joining the enlargening group. Motoko just smiled, postively glowing.

"Hey, can I squeeze in, you losers?" Touji asked. "I brought stuffed caps."

"Is there any spinach?" Motoko asked excitedly.

"Yes..." Her eyes glinted demonically.

"Put the tray down or suffer." She growled.

"Wha!" He shoved it at her and they stared as she shovelled them down.

"Did anybody wan some?" She asked swallowing. They shook their heads.

"Hey, everybody! Time for meeting!" Hikari cried. Takeru joined her as her face went pale. "I'm okay, just dizzy." She assured him.

Motoko moved to join Koushiro, popping the last few mushrooms in her mouth. He blinked.

"Motoko, are you okay?" She nodded vigorously.

"It's the seven year anniversary! We all come here to see how our lives have been progressing, to make any news announcements and to visit the Digital World...so, let's go!" Hikari ended the traditional, short, speech. "Digivices everyone!" Everyone held them out and soon everyone was greeting their digimon.

"Okay...Tsubaki and me have the first announcement! We got the ultrasound, it's a boy!" Taichi said proudly.

"WHEEHOO!" everyone cheered as Tsubaki blushed. So did Taichi, actually.

"Um...Jyou and I are moving to America in three months. He's going to study abroad for a while and I'm going with him. My firm doesn't mind." Yukina said. She worked as a fashion designer.

"Aww...but..." Motoko trailed off pouting.

"Um...Daisuke and I...we're going to get married." Melina said blushing.

"About time!" Shizuko crowed.

"SHUT UP!"

"Um...me and Hikari...I mean, _she's_ pregnant." Takeru said, blushing. Hikari giggled. Everyone whooped.

"So am I! I'm pregnant, too!" Motoko waved happily.

"Wha-wh-" Koushiro fainted.

"Oh my, Izzy?" Tentomon asked anxiously poking him. Motoko leaned over him, Cubmon in her arms.

"Did I say something wrong, Tento?" she asked confused.

"Go Koushiro!" Taichi laughed. A shoe connected with his head.

"_I_ helped, pervert!" Motoko snapped. Everyone laughed.

Touij leaned back, his eyes gazing at the blue sky. He turned, startled, hearing something.

"Wha-what are you-"

"PARTNER!" cried the small ball-like form.

"What?"

Everybody turned. In Touji's lap was a Circusmon, cuddlingagainst his stomach.

"I didn't do it1 I swear!" Touji cried.

Motoko got up and walked towards them, her labcoat swishing over the grass.

"Hello." she said evenly. Koushiro blinked and looked up and turned to where everyone was looking. He quickly lept to his feet.

"I'm Circusmon! I'm his partner!" Circusmon laughed happily. Motoko's eyes widened.

"You aren't him." she whispered, falling back on her butt.

"I'm Circusmon!" She looked at Touji.

"That's not him. That's really your partner, Touji." She smiled. "Thank goodness. You're so lonely." She glanced up surprised as Koushiro grabbed her shoulders. She let him help her up.

"You mean...he...he isn't evil...?" Touji whispered.

"I'm your partner!" Circusmon looked up at him. "Do you not want me?"

"No, no! I want you. I really want you, too." Touji whispered hoarsely. He heldCircusmon close, tears falling. "I've missed you...partner...the real you."

Everyone looked on, contentment in the silence.

V V V

"Izzy...?" Motoko whispered.

"Hm?" He played sleepily with her hair.

"Will you marry me?"

"WHA?" He shot up, shocked. She giggled.

"Do you want your child a Subaru? Well, if you insist." She shrugged and snuggled against the pillow.

"I never said that! You just surprised me."

"Mm hm." She closed her eyes and pulled the covers closer. She bit back her smile as he flopped back down.

"Yes."

"I know." She opened her eyes meeting his. "How long will you love me, Izzy-love?" she asked playfully. He smiled back, recognizing the game. He kissed her gently.

"Always and forever, little kitten."

V V V

THE END!


End file.
